Challenge 4: File Formats
What are Accessible File Formats?
Digital documents are an important part of post-secondary teaching. Course outlines, assignments, readings, handouts, worksheets, and lecture materials are often shared with students as Word documents or PDFs.
But being able to open a document doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone can access the information inside it.
Accessible file formats are documents that are structured and designed so that people with disabilities can access, navigate, and understand their content using the tools and technologies they rely on.
For example, a student using a screen reader needs more than visually formatted text to understand the structure of a document. They rely on things like headings, alternative text, links, lists, and properly structured tables to navigate the content.
Accessibility is something that can be built into a document from the beginning. In fact, when creating a PDF, starting with an accessible Word document can help ensure that important accessibility features are carried over into the PDF.
Why Does This Matter?
The way we structure our digital documents can either remove barriers or create them. For example, a student using a screen reader may navigate a document by moving between headings rather than reading every line from beginning to end. If headings have only been made visually larger or bold, the screen reader won’t recognize them as headings, making the document much more difficult to navigate.
Similarly, a student who cannot see an image relies on alternative text to understand information communicated visually. A student navigating with a screen reader may rely on descriptive link text to understand where a link will take them. And a student using assistive technology needs lists and tables to have enough structure for that technology to interpret them correctly.
What about PDFs?
PDFs can be useful for sharing documents because they preserve the layout and formatting of a document across devices. However, not all PDFs are accessible.
A PDF created from an accessible Word document is much more likely to retain important accessibility features such as headings and alternative text.
On the other hand, a PDF can essentially become an image of a document, particularly when content has been scanned. This can create significant barriers for people using screen readers and other assistive technologies.
If you have Adobe Acrobat Pro, its Accessibility Check can identify issues such as missing tags and alternative text. You can also use tools such as a Read Out Loud feature to get a sense of how a PDF may be interpreted.
However, automated tools don’t catch everything. The best approach is to create accessibility into your source document first, rather than fixing the PDF afterward.
When possible, create and check your Word document before converting it to PDF. The accessibility work you do in Word, such as adding headings and alternative text, can transfer to the PDF.
If you only have the PDF, it is still possible to make changes using tools such as Adobe Acrobat Pro, but this can be much more difficult than working with the original source document.
Examples
Try It Yourself!
1. Choose a Document
Find a Word document that you currently use with your students. This could be:
- a course outline
- assignment instructions
- a handout
- a worksheet
- lecture notes
- a reading you’ve created
2. Give it an Accessibility Check
Spend 15–20 minutes looking through your document using the checklist below.
Check for:
- Are headings created using built-in heading styles?
- Do meaningful images have alternative text?
- Are links descriptive rather than “click here”?
- Are lists created using the built-in list tools?
- Are tables simple and structured with header rows/columns?
- Is information communicated by more than colour alone?
- Is there sufficient colour contrast?
- Have you run the built-in accessibility checker?
If you’re working in Word, you can find the Accessibility Checker under the Review tab. It can help identify issues such as missing alternative text or text that may need to be marked as a heading.
3. Then Choose One Thing to Fix
Don’t try to make your entire document perfect! Just choose one accessibility issue you identified and fix it.
For example, you might:
- Add labels to information currently communicated only through colour
- Convert bold text into a proper heading
- Add alt text to an image
- Rewrite a “click here” link
- Restructure a table
Is there a way you can build this practice into the way you create documents going forward, rather than fixing it later?
Use the comment section below to reflect on your process.
Further Resources
Up Next
Our next challenge will be on accessible presentations and how to make your slides easier for everyone to navigate and engage with.
This challenge is adapted from the “BCcampus Accessibility Bites Series: Word Documents” by Josie Gray and “BCcampus Accessibility Bites Series: PDF Documents” by Ann Gagné, used under CCBY 4.0
Heather Mitchell
My existing document scored poorly against the “Check For” list, at least I thought it did. It will take me some time to become comfortable with setting up an accessible file from the outset.
I chose “Convert bold text into a proper heading” because I have been intimidated by starting a document using styles. I worried that the resulting headings might not look the way I wanted and that I would then have to figure out how to fix them. I thought it would be easier to write the document first and add headings afterward, although I know that can also be time-consuming and difficult. Usually, I set aside accessibility features such as built-in headings until I have the content down. I admit I’m envious when I see a document that has been properly structured with headings from the outset.
I was confused by “Rewrite a “click here” link”. I had a clickable box in my document and wanted to understand what this meant. My box did not say “click here”; it was already labelled “Share Your Feedback”. I frequently use links and without knowing it, had already developed the practice of using a few meaningful words to describe where the link leads.
Likewise, I wasn’t certain what “Are lists created using the built-in list tools?” meant, referring to Bulleted, Numbered, and Multilevel lists. I already use these tools, but I had not understood their significance to the structure of a digital document or that using them, rather than creating lists in other ways, is important for accessibility.
So, the end of my story is that once I understood what each item on the “Check For” list was referring to, I realized that my document was better set up for accessibility than I had initially thought.
By using the Accessibility Checker and clicking on “Learn about accessibility”, I discovered the Accessibility Assistant. It is somewhat like a spell checker that runs in the background, but instead of checking spelling, it reviews the document and flags potential accessibility issues.
I can see the Accessibility Assistant as a helpful learning tool, particularly as I become more familiar with building accessibility into documents from the outset. This experience helped me see that some accessibility practices I had already adopted—such as using meaningful link text and built-in list tools—were contributing to the document’s accessibility even though I had not fully understood why. The bigger learning for me is that building accessibility into a document from the beginning is ultimately easier than trying to retrofit it afterward.
Caterina Valentino
Good day,
I wanted to understand if the email message announcing the fourth accessibility challenge was accessible. Here is what I learned.
I clicked on the no image text in the top right corner of the message. It opened the mail in another area (browser). I then clicked anywhere in the message, and the HTML code appeared.
I saw that the style headings did have html codes for he, bold. I also was able to locate the cascading style sheets. That’s where I could inspect the html programming to see exactly how the coding could vary among computers based on the fonts and special features of a different computer.
What I could not locate was the alt text for the image at the end of the message. I tried to test the images in the slideshow for alt text. That was beyond my programming expertise, at this moment. I need to investigate further how to check the slide show for accessibility.
Below is a short and long image description.
Short Alt Text Graphic titled “Challenge 4: File Formats (DocX and PDF)” showing two people organizing files inside a folder along a dashed map path.
Detailed Description (Long Alt Text) A digital illustration on a dark blue background featuring a large teal signpost arrow at the top with white text reading “Challenge 4: File Formats (DocX and PDF)”. Below the sign, a dashed light-grey path weaves down the left side, marked with a red location pin over a teal circle pin. In the foreground, two illustrated figures interact with a large open file folder containing document and image icons. One person in a green shirt reaches into the folder from the left, while another in a coral-colored top stands on the right facing the folder. Across the bottom of the image is a horizontal row of small teal dots.
If this image is decorative, perhaps it doesn’t require alt text?
Regards,
Caterina
Linda O'Donoghue
Hello! I found this session very helpful as I have a session coming up where I am sharing a handout. So, I checked it using the guidelines mentioned. The use of different headings was a very strong take away for me and how to set up a link so that its ‘context’ is within it rather than a ‘click here’ for more information…
I wondered about numbering items versus bullet points. This was not really addressed in the key points, so I will dig deeper into the accessibility documents provided.
Thank you!
Doug Strable
I especially appreciate the this check list / tips – thank you. I’ve been using the “Styles” more than bold text and also creating more descriptive texts for my links. Also I found and use the accessibility check list now in Word.
Check for:
Are headings created using built-in heading styles?
Do meaningful images have alternative text?
Are links descriptive rather than “click here”?
Are lists created using the built-in list tools?
Are tables simple and structured with header rows/columns?
Is information communicated by more than colour alone?
Is there sufficient colour contrast?
Have you run the built-in accessibility checker?
keith tyler
I realise I’m very guilty of tables with merged cells and use of colour to diferentiate things and the accessabilty check in word does pick them up.
I just need to work on finiding better ways to display information
Tracy
This challenge was very intriguing to me, as it has brought new tools and concepts to my awareness. Intuitively, I have been using some of the suggestions already, and now I have a much clear understanding of why these accessibility guidelines are important and how they are used by individuals.
Interestingly, my Word check said I was Alt Text compliant, when I was not. Unsure why this didn’t get caught and a simple right-click on the image allowed me to check for myself.
Moon Wang
I’ve learned so much practical and thoughtful tips that I hadn’t know about before. Love the additional resources as well. Very hands on and informative!