Making documents accessible

Before you start

  • What is the key information you are trying to communicate?
  • Who is your target audience and what are their needs?
  • What is the best format(s) to reach your target audience?

Order and structure

  • Start with a clear structure
  • Set out your table of contents with a proper headline structure (not more than 5 levels of headlines)
  • Group information when possible
  • Repeat information if needed
  • Background information can be included but should sit in the “background”

Plain English

  • Write in plain English to a level that should be easily understood by a 12-14 year old
    • Write short paragraphs focused on a single idea
    • Use short sentences
    • Use clear and inclusive language

Design and format

  • Use an easy-to-read format
  • Use a plain background and ensure there is enough colour contrast
  • Graphs and tables can be difficult to understand, make graphs and tables simple and explain them where necessary
  • Align text to the left of the page (avoid justifying text)
  • Don’t put too much text on a page
  • Leave space between paragraphs
  • Use heading styles to define the text and structure

Images

  • Images can help people with low literacy to understand text
  • Insert images next to the text
  • Try to use the same style of text throughout your document
  • Add alternative (alt) text to images

Fonts

  • Tasmanian Government fonts have been chosen to be accessible
  • Fonts should be at least for 12pt for copy text
  • Avoid using upper case (capitals), lower case letters are easier to read·
  • Do not underline text unless it is a link
  • Avoid using italics, use only for legislation and Latin names
  • Lower case letters are easier to read

Colour

  • Do not use colour alone to convey information
  • People who can't see color won't find a "blue button" unless it's presented in another way
  • Some color combinations are hard to see, such as for those with color blindness or due to age
  • Ensure colour contrast is appropriate, minimum AA is required

Accessible PDFs

Making PDFs accessible means ensuring that everyone can easily read and understand the content. Here's how you can do it:

  1. Add descriptions to images: Include descriptive text for images so people who use screen readers can understand them.
  2. Use proper headings and structure: Organise the document with clear headings and subheadings to make it easy to navigate.
  3. Include alternative text for links: Describe where the link is taking the user, so they know what to expect when they click on it.
  4. Ensure colour contrast: Make sure text and background colours have enough contrast so they are easy to read.
  5. Enable text copying: Allow users to copy text from the PDF for those who may need to use text-to-speech tools.
  6. Check reading order: Make sure the content flows logically when read out loud by a screen reader.
  7. Test accessibility: Use accessibility tools to check the PDF and make sure it's easy for everyone to use.

Resources

Plain English

Microsoft Word

Adobe PDF

Other