Beginning April 2026, all public colleges and universities must adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II requirements for digital content. This means that all digital collateral, including emails, syllabi, coursework, and more, must be designed with accessibility in mind.
Acing Accessibility is a new communications series dedicated to delivering you bite-sized accessibility lessons to keep the College of Medicine compliant. Accessibility is everyone's responsibility, and with a few small changes, meeting the digital needs of everyone in our community will be second-nature.
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Microsoft Word's accessibility tools are both powerful and straightforward. Whenever you create a Word document for the College, take advantage of all that Word offers to keep compliant and prioritize legibility among all readers.
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Give your document a clear title to help users identify its purpose and content.
Go to File → Info, and on the right side under Properties, click inside the Title field to add a descriptive title.
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Use Word's built-in heading styles such as Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3 instead of bolding or resizing text to provide structure and flow to your document. Structured headings assist screen readers with organization.
TIP: You can customize heading styles to fit your document's design while maintaining accessibility.
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Always Add Alt Text to Images |
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All digital images must include alternative text, more commonly referred to as alt text, to enable screen readers to describe the image to users with visual impairments.
To add alt text, right click the image, select Edit Alt Text, and briefly describe what the image shows. If the image is purely decorative (e.g. the image is only on the page to provide graphic ambiance), mark it as decorative. The vast majority of images should not be marked as decorative.
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Documents are required to have strong color contrast, such as dark text on a white background. Avoid combinations of bright or similar colors that may make text difficult to read. Tools such as TPGI Color Contrast Checker or WebAIM verify that your color choices meet accessibility standards.
See instructions for using the WebAIM tool for details.
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Use clear and meaningful link text to create hyperlinks, rather than generic phrases like, "Click here" or, "Read more." For example, phrases such as, "See the Accessibility Guide" or, "Visit UIC Today" clearly state the destination of a hyperlink.
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Tables should only be used to present data, not for creative page layouts. Tables must have clear row and column headers to allow screen readers to accurately interpret its contents. Avoid merging cells and keep the layout as straightforward as possible.
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Use Word's built-in bulleted or numbered lists tool instead of manually typing symbols or dashes. Properly formatted lists offer a more clear and uniform experience for users with visual impairments.
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If your document includes text boxes, images, or shapes, make sure they appear in the correct reading order for screen readers. Go to Review → Check Accessibility → Reading Order Pane to verify and edit.
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Use Meaningful File Names |
Save your document with a clear, descriptive file name such as "Meeting Agenda April 2026.docx" to aid in organization, search, and sharing. Avoid using generic names such as "Document 1.docx" or "Agenda.docx"
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Run the Accessibility Checker |
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Before sharing your document, go to Review → Check Accessibility to run Word's built-in checker. This tool will automatically identify and explain any issues that require adjustment, ensuring your document is accessible to all users.
See Checking Accessibility in Word for additional detail.
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University of Illinois College of Medicine 1853 W. Polk St. | Chicago, IL 60612 US
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