These directions assume that no styles have been applied. In the Show section, check the Navigation Pane box.From the main menu, select the View tab.Once a heading structure is created, you can view the document in an outline format. No more than 6 levels of headings should be used (H1 - H6).

Subheadings under H2 of the same importance should be Heading 3, and so on. Subheadings under Heading 1 (H1) of the same importance should be Heading 2 (H2). Otherwise, the main heading of the document should be Heading 1. The title and subtitle styles should only be used for a document with a title page. All of the pre-set styles are listed in the Styles section.Structuring content, by properly labeling things such as headings and lists, helps ensure that assistive technology can better navigate the document. The new style set will appear in the Custom section in the Style Set drop-down menuīack to top Structuring Content with Font and Paragraph Styles.Style sets with straight-forward fonts, ample white space, and high contrast between text and background are best.Īttributes that can be modified within the style set include line spacing, default font size, paragraph indentation, bullet/numbering structure, etc. Keep in mind that pre-existing style sets are not necessarily 100% accessible. Expand the Style Sets section by selecting the dropdown arrow.Style Sets determine the visual layout of the document. The new theme will appear in the Custom section in the Themes drop-down menuĮach Theme has a variety of Style Sets.Select the Set as Default option to have your current settings applied to all blank documents. Themes that are clean and simple, with high contrast between text and background are bestĪttributes such as default font, colors and paragraph spacing can be modified.Ĭhanges will affect the entire document.

Keep in mind that pre-existing themes are not necessarily accessible.

Expand the Themes section by selecting the dropdown arrow.

Themes set the overall look of the entire document. Use these whenever possible, to help maintain consistency and properly structured content, so screen readers can better navigate the file. Word has built-in themes and layout templates to help make creating documents easier. Structuring Content with Font and Paragraph Styles Like any document, it is easiest to make a Microsoft Word document accessible when you plan to do so from the start.Īs an alternative to the tutorial below, view the YouTube Microsoft Word Accessibility how-to videos.

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