Cuyamaca College

Staff Development WorkshopFall 2009

Use proper headings and styles provided in Ms Word

Use provided heading, Do Not skip heading levels, Do Not jump from heading 1 to heading 4 because you do not like the style.

You can change the heading styles to fit your document

Fonts should be at least 10 pts, nothing smaller

Use San Serif fonts Arial Verdana Tahoma

Avoid decorative fonts: Example “Brush script”

Provide Alt Tags for all images Right click on image Select “Size…” Click on “Alt Text” tab Insert description

Try not to clutter up a page with a lot of images

Do Not use WordArt or create graphics that contain text

Avoid using flashing or blinking elements Provide caption under picture

Avoid using text and background colors that do not provide sufficient contrast.  Example: do not use white color text on a light blue background

Use high contrast. Example: Black text on white background

Do not convey information or directions with color only, Example: important information highlighted in red or follow the green path

Make them descriptive, Do Not use: “Click Here” “More” Etc…

Use lots of white space, makes document easier to read

Use numbered or bulleted listsFile Formats

.docx (Word 2007) .doc (Word 97-2003) .rtf Other format

Open Officehttp://www.openofficedownload.org/

It is best to use one of the predefined layouts so that content is accessible

Start with a blank presentation using the “Outline View” than add your predefined styles and/or design

Avoid them at all costsDifficult for assistive technology to

read themText boxes become graphics when

converting to PDF or HTML formats

Provide Alt Tags for all images Right click on image Select “Size and Position” Click on “Alt Text” tab Insert description

Try not to clutter up a page with a lot of images

Do not use WordArt or create graphics that contain text

Avoid using flashing or blinking elements Provide caption under picture

Make them descriptive, Do Not use: “Click Here” “More” Etc…

If using audio in your presentation, you must provide an area at the bottom of each slide for text captions. Captions must be synchronized with the audio being used

If using a movie clip, the clip must be captioned

Use lots of white space, makes document easier to read

Use numbered or bulleted listsFile Formats

.pptx (PowerPoint presentation 2007) .ppt (PowerPoint presentation 97-2003) .ppsx (PowerPoint show 2007) .pps (PowerPoint show 97-2003) Other format

Because it is the right thing to doAble to reach more studentsAble to cross platforms (PC vs. Mac)

and versions (Office 2000-2003 vs. Office 2007)

Able to create other formats more easily PDF’s HTML

Best Practices for Creating Accessible MS Office Documents by Kathy Kimbal

Illinois Accessible Web Publishing Wizard for MS Office

Microsoft quick reference card for creating an accessible Office document

WebAim: Microsoft WordWebAim: PowerPoint Accessibility

Thank You for comingQuestions