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Web Accessibility

An essential guide for librarians to support them in applying web accessibility criteria to their online research guides.

Built-In Accessibility Checker

Many Microsoft 365 apps include an Accessibility Checker tool that scans for errors and provides tips on fixing them. Among the apps, including the Accessibility Checker, are:

  • Outlook

  • Word

  • Excel

  • PowerPoint

To run the Accessibility Checker in the above applications:

  • Go to the "Review" ribbon.

  • Choose the "Check Accessibility" option.

To better understand how to use the Accessibility Checker, watch the Improve Accessibility with the Accessibility Checker video. Also, explore accessible templates directly from your Office application by going to File > New and typing "Accessible templates" in the search for online templates box.

For comprehensive step-by-step guidelines and best practices in creating accessible content, explore Make your content accessible in the Microsoft 365 apps.

 

Creating Accesible Emails in Outlook

Let's Practice:

To make HTML the default format in Outlook, follow these steps:

  • Choose "New Email" to compose a new message.
  • Click on "File," then select "Options," and go to "Mail".
  • Within the "Compose Messages" section, choose "HTML" as the format.

To set the font, go through the following steps:

  • Under "Compose Messages", click on "Stationery and Fonts".
  • Within the "Personal Stationery" tab, change the font to 12-point (Segoe UI, Verdana, or Georgia) for "New mail messages and for "Replying or forwarding messages".

To use the same font in your signature, perform the following steps:

  • Go to "Compose Messages" and choose "Signatures".
  • Type your signature and adjust the font to 12-point (Segoe UI, Verdana, or Georgia).
  • Remember to add Alt text to provide a description for users relying on screen readers when including a logo in your signature. 

To create a simple and clean message background, follow these steps:

  • Click on "Personal Stationery" and then choose "Themes".
  • Select the option for "No Theme".