JISC

Accessible documents are required by law and benefit all users, including those who are disabled. The key elements in making published case studies accessible for all users are:

• a semantic structure which will create meaningful navigation
• register and clarity of language
• descriptions of non-textual elements, such as graphs, diagrams and images

If accessible features are added at the outset in the initial Word document, they will be replicated effectively in PDF format. However, particular care should be taken over the formatting of downloadable Microsoft® Word and Adobe® PDF files to ensure that they are accessible to a screen reader. JISC TechDis, the JISC advisory service in the fields of accessibility and inclusion, has produced a series of guides under the heading of Accessibility Essentials 1 which offer step by step guidance on producing accessible Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat files. These can be downloaded from the TechDis website in PDF format, or ordered as hard copies from helpdesk@techdis.ac.uk

The following points provide a summary of the information contained in Accessibility Essentials 1, 2 and 4:

• Fundamental to an accessible document is the use of heading styles. Microsoft Word provides up to 7 heading levels (located under Format > Styles and Formatting). If these are used consistently to organise a document, all readers can benefit from gaining an overview of the structure in the Document Map view in Word (located under View > Document Map). Subsequent transformation of the file to a PDF creates bookmark navigation. Transformation to .html creates screen-reader accessible navigation. These benefits can be built in from the very beginning if heading levels are set up in Word at the outset.
  
  
• Non-textual elements (for example, graphs, images and tables) can be beneficial extras for many readers, but can pose difficulties for others, especially visually impaired readers, those working from a small screen (for example, a mobile device), or those who have converted the document to audio format. There are various ways of ensuring non-textual information is not lost under these circumstances. These can include building a description of the salient features of the image into the body of the text, providing a caption, or adding an ALT text description to the image. For instructions on adding ALT text descriptors to images, see the TechDis Accessibility Essentials series 1 and 4 (for Word and PDF respectively).
  
  
• If creating a PDF directly from a Word document then these processes will maximise your chances of creating an accessible PDF version of your case study. If the case study is formatted at some point in Quark® or Adobe InDesign, it is possible the final PDF output will have lost some of its accessibility to a screen reader, particularly if it includes multiple columns linked to text boxes and graphics. In these cases, a good accessibility solution is to offer multiple formats, for example: the final Word version; the final PDF version derived either from the Word version or from the graphic design software.
  
  
• Readability: Clear, simple language will benefit all readers, but particularly those with visual impairment, or those working in a second language. Specific terminology (jargon) may be required at times, but should be supported by explanations that are meaningful to non-expert readers. Acronyms, even those widely used and understood in educational circles, should be similarly explained.

Recommendation

If audio or video files accompany or are included in a case study, a transcript of the soundtrack will be needed to support users with visual or auditory impairment. Examples of video transcripts