A document is accessible when people with disabilities can read and understand it. A document is also accessible when people with disabilities can interact with it successfully by, for example, filling out a form, checking a box, or adding a signature.

Accessibility is everyone’s responsibility, and no one should be afraid to ask questions or look for help or advice about it.

People with permanent or temporary disabilities may be interested in reading documents. They may have vision, speech, hearing, or physical disabilities. They may have neurological impairments or learning disabilities.

Blindness and other vision-related disabilities may be temporary or permanent. They can affect people to different degrees. A nearsighted person may have to zoom in so that onscreen text appears larger. Some people with low vision read with assistive technology tools like screen readers or screen magnifiers. Other people may have little to no vision and rely on listening to information given to them by a screen reader or by using a braille display.

A screen reader is a software program that reads onscreen items aloud. Sighted people who need help with reading also sometimes use screen readers. Some common screen-reader brands are JAWS, VoiceOver, Narrator, NVDA, and TalkBack. Some functions of screen readers include

• reading the basic plain text of a document;
• reading the information in data tables;
• communicating the difference between structures like document headings, tables of contents, and body text;
• accessing descriptions of photos, charts, and graphics; and
• telling readers where they are on the page.

Authors can use some basic techniques and tools to make documents accessible for screen-reader technology, which is discussed later in this guide.

It’s the right thing to do. The agency provides an important service to the region. People with disabilities are part of this community. They pay taxes, vote, and contribute to the community in various ways. Community members with and without disabilities may rely on information from the agency, so no one should be excluded based on a disability.

It’s the law. A law called the Rehabilitation Act was passed in 1973. It was amended in 2000 and updated again in 2017. Section 508 of this law states that any Federal agency or any organization that receives funding from a Federal agency must make their documents accessible to people with disabilities.

It gets the message out effectively. An accessible document gets the message out to the largest group of people possible. Accessibility benefits the community and the organization.

Yes. Make accessibility part of the process from the start for all documents, even maps, tables, and charts. A discussion of some ways to make more complex information like this accessible appears later in this guide.

Technology evolves rapidly. In 2017, Section 508 was refreshed to keep up with these changes. You can read about the refresh in depth on the US Access Board website. However, here are five important basics for authors to know about the 2017 version of Section 508.

• The newest version focuses on functionality. The old guidelines asked the question, “Is this product accessible?” The new guidelines ask the question, “Can a person with a disability use this product or feature?” Document authors may ask this question in different ways:
  • Could someone who is blind or low vision read and understand all of the information in my report, including graphical information?
  • Could a Deaf community member understand the content of this video or audio clip in my presentation?
  • Could a color-blind user interpret all of the information in my graphs and charts?
• The 2017 refresh is based on the AA level of the international standards described by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 2.0, which was released in 2008.
  • WCAG Level A describes the basics of content accessibility.
  • WCAG Level AA outlines standards for robust content accessibility.
    • Satisfies Level A
    • Goes further than Level A so that all users have a good experience
    • The goal at the Boston Region MPO
  • WCAG Level AAA is the highest tier of accessibility.
    • Satisfies Levels A and AA and goes further, such as by including sign language interpretation for every video
    • Excellent experience for people with disabilities
    • Can be difficult for organizations to reach due to expense or practicality, but worth remembering and aiming for when possible
• The refreshed guidelines make it clear that all documents must be accessible, whether they are for the general public or for employees.
• The 2017 refresh states that organizations should use the most accessible authoring tools possible to create documents. For example, because Microsoft Word has more accessibility features than Google Docs, authors should create documents with Word instead of Google Docs or move their text from Google Docs into Word once collaboration is complete.
• The updated guidelines have expanded the scope of disability to include people with cognitive, language, and learning disabilities.

Document authors share the responsibility to help remove barriers for people with disabilities. Adding accessible features to a document at the end of the authoring process is difficult and time-consuming. Making accessibility a priority from the start is best. Accessible documents will engage as many community members as possible in the agency's important work. Here are some basics tips for all to follow:

• Save Word documents as .docx when possible. Saving as .docx helps to keep built-in Word accessibility features in place. If you save with a different file extension, your document might lose some of these features.
• Use the latest versions of authoring software to get the most up-to-date accessibility tools.
• Use the built-in Accessibility Checker before finalizing your document. Accessibility Checkers are available in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Adobe Acrobat has a similar tool called Accessibility Check for checking PDFs.
  • Be aware that these tools are not perfect, but they can help you spot and remove some accessibility barriers.
• Use actual text instead of images of text. Screen readers cannot read images of text.
• Use a sans serif typeface.
  • “Sans serif” just means any font without little lines hanging off the letters. Serifs can make letters hard to read for people with vision impairments or learning disabilities. Arial and Calibri are examples of sans serif typefaces. Times New Roman and Courier New are examples of typefaces with serifs.
• Limit the use of all caps, italics, and underlining. People who have vision impairment or a reading disability like dyslexia may struggle reading underlined, all caps, or italicized words.
• Use a 12-pt minimum font. Small text can be difficult to read for people with low vision, including older adults.

For more accessibility tips, visit Section508.gov’s Create Accessible Documents page.