Microsoft Word is the University’s primary document authoring tool and provides the most reliable support for accessibility features such as headings, reading order, alternative text, and tagged PDFs.

Accessibility is created at the authoring stage. If a document is not accessible in Word, it will not be accessible when converted to PDF.

For this reason, Word is the recommended starting point for creating accessible documents.

Clear structure helps users navigate documents using screen readers, keyboards and other assistive technologies.

What to do

• Use built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.).
• Avoid formatting headings manually (for example, bold text or larger font size).
• Use heading levels in a logical order that reflects the document’s structure.

For longer documents:

• Insert a Table of Contents using heading styles.
• Use bookmarks and cross-references to support navigation.

Images that convey information must be accessible.

What to do

• Add alternative text to images, charts and visuals that convey information.
• Mark decorative images as decorative.
• Anchor images near relevant content to maintain context.

Links

• Use clear, descriptive link text (for example, “Visit the training page”).
• Avoid pasting full URLs as link text.
• Use Word’s Insert Hyperlink feature and add Screen Tips where helpful.

Lists

• Use Word’s built-in bulleted or numbered list tools.
• Avoid manual formatting such as hyphens or tabs.

Tables

• Use tables only for data, not layout.
• Avoid merged or complex tables.
• Identify header rows and use a consistent structure.
• Add alternative text describing what the table shows.

Headers and footers

• Insert headers and footers using Word’s built-in tools.
• Don’t rely on them for essential information, as screen readers may ignore or repeat them.

Footnotes

• Insert footnotes using Word’s built-in footnote tool.
• Avoid manually adding superscript numbers or references.

Use Word’s Accessibility Checker to find and fix issues.

What to do

• Go to Review > Check Accessibility;
• If you don’t see the tool, search for “Accessibility” in the Help bar;
• Follow the built-in guidance to resolve any issues.

• All accessibility features (headings, alt text, structure) carry over into the PDF. 
• Run the Accessibility Checker in Word before exporting. 

Go to File > Info and under the "Properties" section add: 

• Title.
• Author.
• Subject and Keywords (optional, but helpful for search).

Use one of the following methods: 

• File > Save As > PDF 
• File > Export > Create PDF/XPS Document 

Avoid: 

• Print to PDF, which removes accessibility tags and results in an inaccessible document. 

When exporting to PDF: 

• Select "Document structure tags for accessibility". 
• Enable bookmarks from Word headings, if available. 
• Optimise the PDF for online use (smaller file size and faster load times). 

• If you have access to Adobe Acrobat open the PDF and use Tools > Accessibility > Full Check
• If you don’t have access to Adobe Acrobat, free options are available (for example, PAC).
• Resolve any issues flagged, or contact your local web and digital team for support. 

Google Docs has limited support for creating accessible PDFs.

Recommended approach

• Export the document to Microsoft Word;
• Complete accessibility checks in Word;
• Convert to PDF from Word if a PDF is required.

Adobe InDesign can produce accessible PDFs, but only when accessibility is considered throughout the design process.

What to do

• Use the Tagged PDF export setting;
• Define heading levels, reading order and alternative text manually;
• Use paragraph styles consistently to reflect document structure.

Creating accessible PDFs in InDesign usually requires specialist knowledge and may not be suitable for all documents.

Many design tools prioritise visual layout over document structure and accessibility.

What to do

• Avoid placing important text inside images;
• Use tools that support tagged PDFs (PDFs with built-in structure for screen readers) where possible;
• Provide a text-based alternative or summary if accessibility cannot be ensured.

If the document contains important information, consider whether a web page or Word document would be a more accessible option.

Scanned documents are usually not accessible because the content is treated as an image.

What to do

• Avoid scanned PDFs wherever possible;
• Always provide an accessible alternative, such as:
  • A web page;
  • A Word document;
  • Plain text.

Optical character recognition (OCR) alone does not guarantee accessibility.