Running the Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker is a necessary step to ensure that a document is accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. You can use the Accessibility Checker to see which parts of your document content require attention and remediation. The Accessibility Checker is a built-in feature in Microsoft Office365 that discovers accessibility issues and alerts, explains why they exist, and provides solutions, similar to how the Word Editor identifies possible grammar, spelling and punctuation faults.
Step-by-step instructions
- In the menu, select the Review tab.
- Within the Review ribbon, select the Check Accessibility link within the Check Accessibility dropdown menu.
- An Accessibility Checker panel will open to the right of the document. This panel provides you with a list of errors and warnings. When you click on an error or warning, instructions on how to fix it appear below the Additional Information section.
- To easily address accessibility errors and warnings, select an issue to open the Recommended Actions list. You can apply a one-click fix by selecting an action or select the arrow button next to an action for more options.
Common errors
- Missing alt text - Adding alternative text to graphics benefits people who are blind or have low vision. Those individuals can use screen readers to hear text that describes the graphics read aloud.
- Missing table header – People who are blind, have low vision, or have cognitive disabilities may use screen readers to navigate tables for a better understanding of data. Table header rows inform users about associated data cells within the table to make the data more meaningful.