Core Skills for Digital Accessibility

Documents that are shared digitally need to be accessible for everyone. Accessible documents enable all people, including people with disabilities, to take part effectively and independently in academic, professional, and community activities. Accessible documents combine best practices in document design with best practices in accessibility. 

Techniques described in these articles are intended for use alongside style guides for print, electronic, or web authoring, and the recommendations apply to a wide range of document formats and tools. Whether you create Word or Google docs, web pages, PDF documents, emails, or documents in other formats, you can adopt a few simple practices to make your documents more accessible for all users. 

Not all techniques will apply in all situations, and some situations may call for an approach not described here. Always check the accessibility of your digital documents and other products at regular stages throughout the design and development process.

Digital Accessibility: 11 Things You Can Do

Wednesday, December 25, 2024
These core practices are useful to just about anyone who wants to provide more accessible digital content.

Organizing Content with Headings and Structure

Monday, January 1, 2024
Structured documents with clearly defined sections are easier to navigate and traverse. Headings and other structural elements add a high degree of usability to documents in any format.

ALT Text

Monday, January 1, 2024
Descriptive alternative text, or "ALT text", conveys the content and purpose of images in your documents. Good ALT text stands in for any images that are not visible.

Accessible Data Tables

Monday, January 1, 2024
Accessible data tables provide information that helps users to understand the data and stay oriented in the table.

Accessible Lists

Monday, January 1, 2024
Lists let you share information effectively and efficiently, in easy-to-understand structures.

Provide Clear and Descriptive Hyperlinks

Monday, January 1, 2024
Hyperlinks are a fundamental part of digital documents. When links are clear, evident, and understandable in context, your content is more navigable for all users.