Document Accessibility - For Content Experts

Accessible electronic formats include Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Extended Markup Language (XML), Mathematics Markup Language (MathML), Microsoft Word, and text files, as well as disability-specific formats such as Digital Audio-based Information System (DAISY), digital braille file (BRF), and National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS). PDF files can be considered accessible if they are "tagged," which is usually the case if they have been created electronically (e.g., by printing a Microsoft Word document to Adobe Acrobat). Material that is not considered accessible includes scanned images that have been saved in PDF format, text contained in electronic faxes and other image formats, and graphical objects (e.g., images of tables or equations) that are embedded in documents.

General Tips

• Accessibility Tips
  General tips for creating publications and user interfaces that are accessible to people who are blind.

Tips for creating specific types of documents

• General guidelines for creating accessible PDF files, HTML books, and other types of e-books
  (Guideline D from the WGBH National Center for Accessible Media)
• Creating accessible PDF files with Adobe Acrobat
  Adobe's audiovisual tutorial that introduces the crucial steps for building accessible PDF files using Adobe Acrobat.
• Adobe Acrobat 9 Accessibility Overview
  Overview of accessibility features in Adobe Reader 9 and Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro that are geared towards both authors and readers of PDF documents. Although more generic than the audiovisual tutorial, this overview may be useful to creators of PDF files who prefer written guidance.
• Guidelines for making forms accessible to users who are blind or visually impaired
  (Guideline B from the WGBH National Center for Accessible Media).

Tips on specific types of content

• Text E-mail Newsletter (TEN) Standard
  Tips on how to make plain text e-mail newsletters accessible to users with visual impairments (developed by Headstar in partnership with the Roil National Institute for the Blind)
• Guidelines for creating tables that are accessible to users who are blind or visually impaired
  (Guideline C from the WGBH National Center for Accessible Media)
• How to create descriptive text
  Guidelines for writing meaningful text descriptions of images and graphs.
• How can Design Science Make Math Accessible?
  Description of authoring tools for creating math content for use by people with and without disabilities.

Last updated December 13, 2008 by Imke Durre