Microsoft Word for Beginners

Microsoft Word Accessibility is an essential aspect of document creation, offering a wide range of features to enhance user experience and ensure content accessibility for all audiences.

Video Guide

Document Creation with Microsoft Word Accessibility

Starting a new document in Microsoft Word is straightforward. By selecting the ‘File’ button and then ‘New’, you have the choice of a blank document or searching online templates, such as a resume template. Creating a document automatically inserts content, which you can edit by typing your name, replacing images, and more.

Opening a new file is also simple. Clicking ‘Open’ after selecting the ‘File’ button launches a file explorer within Word, where you can browse and select files. Alternatively, double-clicking a Word document opens it directly.

Upon launching a new document, you’ll initially observe tabs at the top such as ‘File’, ‘Home’, ‘Insert’, ‘Draw’, ‘Design’, among others. Subsequently, each tab encompasses a ribbon filled with diverse options. For instance, within the ‘Home’ tab’s ribbon, you’ll find sections including clipboard, font, paragraph styles, and beyond. Moreover, many of these sections boast additional settings, accessible via pop-out windows, thereby providing comprehensive customization possibilities for elements like paragraph indentation, spacing, and styles.

The ‘Insert’ tab is notably versatile, enabling the addition of cover pages, tables, pictures, shapes, Smart Art, charts, and even online videos. Conversely, exercise caution with text boxes, as they are not accessible to screen readers. Additionally, this tab allows for the insertion of equations and symbols.

Other tabs include ‘Draw’, with drawing tools, ‘Design’, with themes and layout options for page margins, orientation, and size, and ‘References’, for adding contents, footnotes, and indexes. The ‘Review’ tab offers spelling and grammar checks, word count, accessibility checks, translation features, and options for comments and track changes. ‘View’ tab adjusts document display and includes tools like read mode, print layout, gridlines, and navigation pane.

Customization and Microsoft Word Accessibility

The interface includes toolbars for third-party software like MathType, Abby, Grammarly, and Acrobat. You can change the document view in the bottom right corner, choosing between read mode, print layout, and web layout, and adjust zoom with the Ctrl key and mouse wheel.

Accessibility is a central focus. The ‘Review’ tab’s ‘Check Accessibility’ option evaluates the document for accessibility issues, including alternate text for images, navigation, and focus. To customize the ribbon, go to ‘File’, then ‘Options’, and ‘Customize Ribbon’. Here, you can add or remove tabs and tailor the Quick Access Toolbar for frequently used functions. The ‘Add-Ins’ tab allows activation of tools like the Acrobat toolbar.

Advanced Formatting and Accessibility

Layering multiple images is easy; you can adjust their order using ‘bring forward’ or ‘send backward’ options. For inserting headers or footers, there are two methods: using the ‘Insert’ option or double-clicking at the top of the document to access the header and footer tab. Here, you can add elements like page numbers and dates, and exit the editing mode with a simple click.

Inserting mathematical equations is straightforward in Word. By selecting ‘Insert’ and then ‘Equation’, you can type in formulas like the quadratic equation, although ensuring their accessibility requires additional steps. Dictation is another powerful feature, particularly useful for individuals with disabilities or those inputting large amounts of text. Activated from the ‘Home’ tab, Word transcribes spoken words into text, with settings adjustable for the microphone and spoken language.

For visual data representation, Word provides options to insert various charts and graphs. After choosing your chart type and inputting data, it’s important to label each element for accessibility. Adjusting color contrast ratios for these elements ensures better readability, especially for users with visual impairments. For complete accessibility, converting these charts into images is recommended.

Adding a watermark is simple from the ‘Design’ tab, where you can apply watermarks like ‘Do Not Copy’ to every page. Additionally, adjusting page color and adding borders is achievable from this tab. Furthermore, creating a table of contents emerges as another valuable feature, particularly for enhancing navigation in extensive documents. This can be generated automatically from the ‘References’ tab after inserting a blank page.

The ‘Review’ tab houses tools like spelling and grammar checks, which display suggestions in the editor pane. The word counter provides an overview of the document’s length, including the number of words, paragraphs, and lines. The read-aloud feature is beneficial for reviewing and proofreading, with adjustable settings for reading speed and voice.

Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker

Ensuring document accessibility is crucial, and Word’s accessibility checker assists in identifying and correcting potential issues, like insufficient font color contrast or missing descriptions for charts and images. Setting page breaks, adjusting line numbers, and other layout options enhance the document’s readability and structure.

To summarize, Microsoft Word provides an extensive array of tools for document creation, formatting, and accessibility. Not only do these features assist in crafting professional-grade documents, but they also play a pivotal role in extending content accessibility to a broader audience. For more information and updates on creating accessible Word documents, checking out instructional videos and resources is highly recommended.

Let me be your champion for inclusion. I offer tailored solutions (and self-paced courses!) to ensure your documents meet and exceed compliance expectations. For more detailed insights, tutorials, and in-depth discussions on accessibility and related topics, don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel: The Accessibility Guy on YouTube. Subscribe for regular updates!