Headings help with general navigation and are a key component in creating accessible documents. Those who use screen readers commonly search and navigate a document based on its heading structure.
Headings that are created by simply enlarging words and making them a different color do not actually make them structurally a heading. So make sure you are using styles that are built into Microsoft word.
There are of course some quick rules for using headings:
Use at least one H1 – used as the title (The title style is not recognized by a screen reader!)
All H2’s should be subtopics to the main H1
Headings should not skip order. There should not be an H4 without an H3 first
Think of headings like using and building an outline.
Video Overview of how to apply headings to a Microsoft word document
Need more Video walkthroughs? Check out The Accessibility Guy YouTube channel
Headings Navigation
When I start to apply headings to a document I always like to start by opening the navigation pane and then selecting the headings tab. On windows, this can be opened by pressing CNTRL + F on the keyboard.
The image above is a great example of how to use headings to build an outline for all of your content.
Text Overview on how to apply headings to a Microsoft word document
Select some text
Choose a style from the quick styles menu from the home tab
Go through the rest of the document and apply the styles throughout!
Need to learn the next steps in making your word document accessible?
Did you know you can change the way that your headings look in Microsoft word? The default heading colors might not be ideal for your project. Typically, when you apply a heading, it will format the text to the default template within Microsoft Word.
So if you want to change the default blue font – check out the content below!
Video overview of how to change the way headings look in Microsoft word
Text overview of how to change the way headings look in Microsoft word
Step 1
Format some text the way you want it to look with a font, color, and font size.
Step 2
Right-click the quick styles menu and select Update to Match Selection
This will change every Heading 2 throughout your document to match the same formatting.
Make sure the color you pick passes color contrast requirements!
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Headings are often used as the sole method for navigation for those using a screen reader or other assistive technology. It allows technology to navigate more effectively and serves as a method for jumping around text to get to the exact spot needed.
The screen reader allows you to drill down from higher heading to lower heading. This means you can list all heading level 3s under a specific heading level 2 for more precision. One suggestion is if you provide an action item in the text page, provide a heading over that, so the student can skim directly to the homework, additional reading, etc. A well-aligned page should have headings with an appropriate level of complexity:
Heading Level 1 is the title of the page, placed by Canvas, you will always have this. If the page is noticeably short, less than 100 words, it can be left with no additional headings.
Heading Level 2 is the highest-level separations within the canvas shell and should be used to chunk major topics in material.
Heading Level 3 and lower should be used for text-heavy pages and should be used to give additional structure to the document.
The Heading levels should form a tree, where each heading is preceded by the level one above it.
What do headings look like using JAWS?
The heading structure in the image below is clear and easy to navigate. Each heading is descriptive and is in the proper order. For those who use JAWS, they are able to navigate this content with ease.
Example Canvas page with and without headings
The following image represents a canvas page that has both headings applied and not applied. Option 2 shows the correct version and clearly shows the benefits of applying headings to a page.
Things to consider with headings
Avoid using all capital letters, underlining, or bolding as the only means of emphasis.
Using a larger font or different color does not automatically indicate to a user that a page has headings. You must still mark headers using the rich content editor.
Headings must be in order.
Video overview on how to apply headings in Canvas
Instructional Guide – How to apply headings to a Canvas page
Step 1: Ensure you are in edit mode
Step 2: Select the text you would like to make a heading
Click and drag your mouse or click into the line
Step 3: Choose the heading level from the drop-down menu or the format tab. Option 1 as indicated below is the easiest.
A heading is a style element that affects the structure of the content. Organizing a page by headings assists users with the orientation of the content and design. Typically, headings visually appear larger and more distinct than other text. Using headings and ensuring they are visually apparent is helpful for persons with all disabilities.
A heading is a style element that affects the structure of the content. Organizing a page by headings assists users with the orientation of the content and design. Typically, headings visually appear larger and more distinct than other text. Using headings and ensuring they are visually apparent is helpful for persons with all disabilities.
If the underlying code for the headings of a page is correct, screen reader users can also benefit from headings. Screen reader users can navigate a page according to its headings, listen to a list of all headings, and skip to the desired heading to begin reading at that point. For example, screen reader users can use headings to ignore the repeated blocks of content like headers, menus, and sidebars.
This is just too complicated. Can you do document remediation for me? How do I get a quote?
Most everyone
Code example
The image below shares a few examples of formatting text differently. There is plain text on the left, and then the HTML is shown on the right. One example of text has no formatting, while the other is formatted as a heading and a list.
The Heading 1 is the most important idea on the page.
Skipping heading levels can be confusing
This heading is a heading level 2. The next heading that we should create would either be a heading 3 or an additional heading 2.
If we were to create a heading 3 it would need to relate to our Heading 2 of Do not skip heading levels.
Why should I not skip heading levels?
This is a heading level 3. We do not want to skip heading levels because it can be confusing for people who use technology to read the content. Additionally, it can make the content feel out of order if I would have jumped to a heading level 4 instead.
Visual formatting like using bold or color does not work for a person using a screen reader
This is a heading level 2. I am not using a heading level 1 because I have already used one, and it does not make sense to add another one. Bolding, underlining, and using color for emphasis can be difficult for people who are color blind or visually impaired. Additionally, this reliance on visual aspects does NOT translate to assistive technology.
Only use Heading 1 through Heading 6
Most of the Assistive Technologies will pull only the first 6 headings. Ensure your content fits within this structure. Do not overuse headings. In most cases, content editors will not need more than <h2> rank headings and the occasional <h3> rank. Only for exceptionally long or complex pages would <h5> and <h6> be necessary.
To summarize, here is a shortlist of the requirements for headings:
<H1> is the most important idea on the page. Subsections should begin with <H2>
Documents and pages should have at least one <H1>
Do not skip heading levels
Do not select heading levels based on appearance
Do not use bold or another visual formatting instead of a heading
Only use <H1> through <H6>
Ok, so How do I apply headings?
Applying headings completely depends on what environment you are in. For this example, we are going to use Microsoft Word. Built-in styles are combinations of formatting characteristics that you can apply to text to quickly change its appearance.
Benefits of using styles:
Accessible
Create a Table of Contents automatically
Reduce time for document wide updates and changes
Ability to use Outline View
How to apply heading styles from quick styles
Select some text you would like to apply a style to
On the Home ribbon under the Styles tab
Select a style from the Quick Styles (the ones in the box)
How do I apply headings in a google document?
This video will introduce users how to apply headings in a google document.
How do I apply headings in a Microsoft Word Document?
This video will walk users through how to apply the heading style to a document in Microsoft word.
