Disclaimer: FHWA is committed to making its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessible by meeting the 

requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The tools, resources, criteria and other items provided herein are for 

internal use by FHWA for ICT it procures, develops, maintains, and utilizes. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use by 

third parties of the information contained in this document.

Creating Accessible Word Files

Office of Administration

FHWA-HAD-20-001

September 14, 2020

Creating Accessible Word Files

FHWA-HAD-20-001 September, 2020 i 

Table of Contents

Table of Contents........................................................................................................................................... i

Document Properties....................................................................................................................................1

Title and author.........................................................................................................................................1

Language...................................................................................................................................................2

Saving........................................................................................................................................................2

Structure .......................................................................................................................................................2

Styles.........................................................................................................................................................3

Style use ................................................................................................................................................3

Headings................................................................................................................................................3

Modifying styles....................................................................................................................................4

Spacing between elements...................................................................................................................6

Line breaks............................................................................................................................................9

Page Breaks...........................................................................................................................................9

New or Custom Styles...........................................................................................................................9

Formatting ................................................................................................................................................9

Built-in tools..........................................................................................................................................9

Use built-in tools to create: ..................................................................................................................9 

Table of Contents, Endnotes, Footnotes ............................................................................................10

Links ....................................................................................................................................................11

Fonts....................................................................................................................................................11

Movement...........................................................................................................................................11

Language of Parts................................................................................................................................11

Text as Text.........................................................................................................................................12

Text boxes...........................................................................................................................................12

Background Information.....................................................................................................................12

Logical Order.......................................................................................................................................13

Graphics......................................................................................................................................................13

Graphs and Charts...................................................................................................................................14

Equations ................................................................................................................................................14

Equation alt text notes:.......................................................................................................................14
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FHWA-HAD-20-001 September, 2020 ii

Embedded Media........................................................................................................................................14

Sensory Characteristics...............................................................................................................................15

Use of Color.............................................................................................................................................15

Text .....................................................................................................................................................15

Graphs/Charts.....................................................................................................................................15

Links ....................................................................................................................................................15

Color Contrast.........................................................................................................................................15

Tables..........................................................................................................................................................15

Set table property options......................................................................................................................16

Set the row properties............................................................................................................................16

Simple Tables..........................................................................................................................................16

Complex tables........................................................................................................................................17

Forms and Macros ......................................................................................................................................18

Creating an Adobe PDF File from a Microsoft Word 2010 Document:.......................................................18

References and Resources..........................................................................................................................20
Creating Accessible Word Files

FHWA-HAD-20-001 September, 2020 1 

Creating Accessible Word Files 

The content owner/author is responsible for correct formatting of the content. This document provides a 

step-by-step discussion on most aspects of making Word files accessible with the intent of creating a 

conformant PDF using Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus. It does not discuss every method of making an aspect of 

Word accessible nor using every version of Word. Accessible does not necessarily mean 508 conformant. 

The more accessible the source document, the easier it is to finalize the 508 conformant PDF.

This is not a document on how to use Word. See https://support.office.com/en-us/article/word-forwindows-training-7bcd85e6-2c3d-4c3c-a2a5-5ed8847eae73 for Word training.

Document Properties

Title and author

Go to the “File” tab. Navigate to “Properties" and select “Advanced Properties” from the drop down. On the 

“Summary” tab:

• Enter the full, proper document title in the “Title” field. 

• Set the “Author” to FHWA. 

See https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G88.html. 
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Language

Go to the “File” tab and select “Options” then “Language.” Confirm the default human language is correct 

for the document. 

Screen readers read with an accent. For the content to be understandable to people using screen readers, 

the language needs to match the natural language of the content.

When the document has content in more than one language, set the default to the language that is used the 

most. Then set specific content language to match its natural language. See Language of Parts for discussion 

on setting the language for specific words or parts of the document.

Saving

Save as a .docx to retain accessibility features. Go to the “File” tab and select “Word Document (*.docx)” 

from the “Save As” drop down. 

Structure

Sighted users likely skim a page for headings, links, etc. Assistive technologies use these same indicators to 

navigate documents. In an accessible document, these indicators are created in a non-visual way, using 

styles and other built-in features. Do not pick a style because of the look. Select the correct style first, and 

then modify the look.
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FHWA-HAD-20-001 September, 2020 3 

Styles

To select a style, go to the “Styles” group on the ‘Home.’ Select a style for its function not for its format. 

Once selected update the format. 

Also see https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G115.html, 

https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G140.html, 

https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/html/H42. 

Style use

o Title – Use once for the title of the document. Base on a normal paragraph. The title is not tagged as 

a Heading 1. 

o Headings – Provide descriptive headings. Use “Styles” Headings in hierarchal order. Avoid skipping 

levels. The first major section is styled with Heading 1. Subsections of the Heading 1 content are 

styled with Heading 2. A subsection of Heading 2 is styled with Heading 3 and so on through Heading 

6. The headings should mirror a table of contents or outline of the document. See also 

https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/html/H69.html (while this applies to HTML, the 

concept is the same). 

o Note: Watch Heading styles using automatic numbering and how they convert in the PDF. These 

can convert to objects (images) not text in the PDF. Images of text are not acceptable in the 

Headings. If the automatic numbering coverts to an object in the PDF, In Word, select the 

Heading number and select Ctrl + Space on the keyboard. Repeat this step for all automatic 

numbered heading numbers and then reconvert to PDF. This action will not change the number 

itself but prevents it from converting to an object in the PDF. 

o Paragraph – Use the Normal paragraph.

Headings

Open the “Navigation Pane” by going to the ‘View” tab and checking “Navigation Pane” in the “Show” 

group. In the “Navigation Pane” select “Headings.” Inspect the document for headings and compare them to 

the Headings list in the navigation pane.

• Is each visual header listed?

• Does the Headings list match an outline or table of contents for the document? 

• Are subheadings properly indented? Confirm that a subsection is not at the same level as its parent 

section.
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FHWA-HAD-20-001 September, 2020 4 

• Does not include the title.

• Does not include blank lines.

The screen shot below shows an example of visual heading matching up to the “Headings” in the 

“Navigation pane” to form an outline of the document.

Modifying styles

Open the styles dialog by selecting the “dialog box launcher” in the “Styles” group of the “Home” tab. The 

“dialog box launcher” is the small, downward pointing arrow found at the bottom right of the box. 

Alternatively, open the “dialog box launcher” by selecting “Alt + Ctrl + Shift + S.” 
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FHWA-HAD-20-001 September, 2020 5 

Navigate to the style to change and select “Modify” from the drop-down box. Change properties as needed

in the “Modify Style” dialog box. For more advanced formatting, select the aspect to change from the 

“Format” drop down on the dialog box.
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Spacing between elements

Style all spacing between elements instead of adding a blank paragraph. To adjust the spacing before and 

after the element, select “Format” on the “Modify Style” dialog box. Select ”Paragraph” from the drop down 

list.
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Adjust the spacing sizes in the “Before:” and “After:” in “Spacing” section as needed.

To identify the blank paragraphs to remove, go to the “Paragraph” group of the “Home” tab and select the

“Show/Hide formatting marks” icon (the ¶). The blank paragraphs are the lines with only ¶. The screen shot 

below shows examples of blank paragraphs used to format white space between elements.
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Quick Tip: Globally remove blank paragraphs used to create a space between elements by returning to the

navigation pane, select the “Search for more things” drop down next to the magnifying glass.

Select “Advanced Find” then to go the “Replace” tab. In “Find what,” enter ^p^p. Replace with ^p. Note this 

is case sensitive.
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FHWA-HAD-20-001 September, 2020 9 

Line breaks

Use line breaks (Ctrl + Enter) to force a break within a paragraph. The line break displays as an arrow to the 

left when formatting marks are shown in the screen shot below.

Page Breaks

Use page breaks to move content to a new page instead of pressing enter until the content is moved to a 

new page. Add a page break by going to the “Insert” tab and selecting “Page Break“ from the “Pages” group. 

New or Custom Styles

Ensure a new or custom style is based on the appropriate style. Do not pick a style based on formatting. For 

example, base ’My Caption’ on Normal and not a heading because it matches the desired style. Base ‘My 

new Heading 1’ on Heading 1.

Formatting

Built-in tools

Use built-in tools to create: 

• Lists. 

• Tables. 

• Columns. 

• Table of contents. 

• Footnote and /or endnotes. 

Do not create the appearance of a list using symbols (e.g., – or *). Do not create the appearance of tables or

columns using tabs, spaces, and/or line breaks. Do not manually create tables of contents, footnotes, or 

endnotes. 
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Lists

Create lists by selecting the bulleted list, numbered list, or multi-level list from the “Paragraph” group of the 

“Home” tab. 

Tables

See detailed discussion in the Tables section of this document. 

Columns

On the “Page Setup” group of the “Layout” tab, select the ”Columns” drop down, then select the number of 

columns.

Table of Contents, Endnotes, Footnotes

Select the appropriate item from the “Reference” tab. 
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Symbols

Insert symbols by selecting the “Symbol” drop down from the “Symbols” group of the “Insert” tab. Do not 

create a ≤ or ≥ by underlining a < or >. Do not create a  ̊ by making the letter o superscript. Note: if the final 

conformant version is a PDF or HTML, check the symbols in those files to confirm they converted correctly.

Links

• Ensure linked words among other content are identifiable as links and are not identifiable by color 

alone. https://www.w3.org/TR/2016/NOTE-WCAG20-TECHS-20161007/G182. See use of color 

discussion below.

• Where links are identified by a different color only, ensure a minimum contrast between the link 

color and body text as a well as providing an additional non-color visual cue on hover or on focus. 

https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/G183.html. This contrast is in addition to link and body 

text color against the background.

• Ensure the linked words are unique and descriptive of the link destination or the purpose of the link

is discernable from surrounding text. Do not use ‘click here,, ‘read more,’ etc. 

https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G53.html, 

https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/G91.html.

Fonts

• Font colors against a background must pass WCAG 2.0 AA minimum color contrast. 

• Except for captions and images of text, text is resizable and readable when zoomed to 200% without 

assistive technology.

Movement

The document is free from any content that blinks or flashes. 

Language of Parts

When using a word or phrase from a language different from the default human language, set the language 

of that part to the correct human language. Highlight the text that is in a different language. Go to the 

“Review” tab. In the “Language” section select the “Language” drop down select “Set Proofing Language.” 
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FHWA-HAD-20-001 September, 2020 12

Select the correct language from the dialog box. Also see 

https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/html/H58.html. 

This does not apply to names, technical terms, or words that are common in the default language, e.g., 

rendezvous for the default language English.

Text as Text

Rendered text as text, not an image. This includes content copied from another source.

This does not apply to: 

• Logos. 

• Incidental text. Incidental text includes purely decorative images or parts of an image that contain 

significant other visual content such as a sign in the background of a photograph. 

• Images replacing text to maintain a certain look such as an infographic, flowchart, or equation.

Text boxes

When using text boxes, ensure they are positioned in line with the text. Select the text box then go to the 

“Arrange” group of the “Layout” tab select “Position.” Select “In Line with Text” from the drop down. 

Background Information

Background information includes content contained in watermarks, headers, or footers. This content may 

not be available to assistive technologies. Confirm vital background information is duplicated in the body of 

the text at the start of the related information.
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Logical Order

Confirm content is in logical order when read linearly.

Graphics

When a graphic is created using multiple individual graphics, “Group” them to create a single graphic. Select 

all the individual graphics. Then from the “Format” tab under “Picture Tools” tab or “Drawing Tools” tab, 

select “Group” from the “Group” drop down in the “Arrange” group. 

Provide a concise description (“alt text”) for all graphics conveying meaningful information. The description 

is used by screen readers to tell someone who cannot see the image what it is. The description is an 

equivalent, conveying the meaning of the graphic. Do not add extra information or skip anything relevant.

Do not repeat any description provided in text surrounding the graphic or the caption. Do not start the 

description with “This is a picture of ...,” “This is a figure of...,” etc.

Add the description by selecting the image. Then go to the “Format” tab on the “Picture Tools” tab. Select 

the “dialog box launcher” in the “Picture Styles” group of this tab. The “dialog box launcher” is the small, 

downward pointing arrow found at the bottom right of a group. Alternatively, open the “dialog box 

launcher” by selecting “Alt then JP then O.” This action opens the “Format Picture” task pane. Navigate to 

the “Layout and Properties” icon then select “Alt Text.” Add the description to the “Description” field. 

Except for objects that do not support “Descriptions” such as equations, include the description in the 

“Description” field, not in a separate file.
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If the image does not have the “Picture Styles” group, select the “dialog box launcher” from the “Size” 

group.” Go to the “Alt Text” tab on in the “Format Object Dialog” box. Add a text equivalent to the graphic in 

to the “Description” field.

Only graphics providing meaningful information need alt text. Do not add alt text to decorative images. If 

available, select the “Make as decorative” check box on the “Alt Text” dialog box. If it is not available, add ‘ ‘ 

to the alt text. 

Graphs and Charts

Preferable, the alt text for graphs and charts should succinctly describe the graph in 2 or 3 sentences. It is 

acceptable to provide the properly formatted, raw data tables in combination with a short description. 

Equations

• Simple, 1-line, text-based equations, can be left as text, e.g., A = π r2. Note: if the final conformant

version is a PDF or HTML, confirm the symbols converted correctly.

• More complex equations are typically done in an editor. These require alt text in the PDF, as will any

simple 1-line equation done with an equation editor. There are different ways to edit the equations.

o From the “Insert” Tab select the “Equation” drop down in the “Symbols” group. This

equation does not contain a “Description” like with images or figures above. The description

is added to the final conformant PDF or HTLM.

o From the “Insert” tab “Microsoft Equation 3.0” from the “Object” drop down in the “Text”

group. Add alt text to the element following the steps for a figure or image.

Equation alt text notes:

• Subject matter experts need to write the alt text for equations and technical non-text content.

• The alt text for the equations is simply the equation as a person would read it aloud to a peer,

“A equals pi times r squared.” Do not include extra information such as “This is the equation to

calculate the area of a circle. It reads, A, the area of the circle equals pi, the ratio of a circles

circumference to its diameter (commonly taken as 3.14) time r, the radius of a circle squared.”

• Ensure the alt text for the equations match the case of the symbol or variable in the equation

including alternatives for Greek symbols.

Embedded Media 

See Multimedia documentation.
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Sensory Characteristics

Avoid referring to content solely by color, shape, size, sound, or location. 

https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G96.html. Note that above and below references 

discussing content before and after a point for content presented in logical order are acceptable. Avoid 

statements such as “press the green button to continue,” “refer to the list to the right,” etc.

Use of Color

Color alone cannot convey information. This applies to content including text, links, and graphs/charts.

Text

When changing the font color or the background color to convey information (e.g., using a color-coded table

to highlight updates) ensure the change is also conveyed in a manner not using color.

https://www.w3.org/TR/2016/NOTE-WCAG20-TECHS-20161007/G182. 

Graphs/Charts

If the document has charts or graphs, ensure that each line or segment has a non-color visual indicator. For 

line graphs, the visual indicator includes a unique marker, line style, or name of the line pointing to the line. 

For charts, the visual indicator includes a unique pattern on each segment or the name of each segment 

near the segment. Note: putting the values of a point on a line or of a segment does not satisfy this criterion. 

Links

See the “Links” section Under “Structure.” 

https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G183.html. 

Color Contrast

All text color combinations meet WCAG 2.0 AA minimum color contrast requirements This includes images 

that are mainly text, such as an infographic. This does not apply to logos or images where the text is 

incidental to a graphic.

Tables

Use a table only to present data. Avoid using tables for layout (i.e., column layout, text boxes). When 

unavoidable, e.g., the Technical Documentation Form (1700.7), remove the table tags in the final 508

conformant PDF to keep content in logical order. 

Format tables as proper tables. Do not use tabs or columns to create tables. Do not select “Enter” to add a 

new row. To create a table, go to the ”Insert” tab and from the “Table” group select the table size from

“Insert Table” on the “Table” drop down. To add a new or delete rows or columns, go to the “Layout Tab” of 

the “Table Tool’ tab. Select the appropriate choice from the “Rows & Columns” group. 
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FHWA-HAD-20-001 September, 2020 16

• The table should contain only data. Place data in its own cell. All headers should contain text.

• Place the table header (title or caption) and any footnotes/endnotes outside the table.

• Do not add alt text to tables.

• Tables are text based, not an image. See “Text as Text.”

Set table property options

Go to the “Design” tab on the “Table Tools” tab. In the “Table Style Options” group, check “Header Row” 

and/or “First Column” as needed for the table structure.

Set the row properties

Go to the “Layout” tab on the “Tables Tools” tab and select “Properties” from the “Table” group. Go to the 

“Row” tab. On this tab:

a. Select all cells and uncheck ”Allow Rows to break across pages.”

b. Select the header rows(s) and check ”Repeat as header row at the top of each page.”

Simple Tables 

A simple table is one that has one level of column and/or one level of row headers and no cells that span 

multiple rows and/or columns. In the example below, the column headers are the first row of cells; ‘State,’ 

‘Cats,’ ‘Dogs,’ and ‘Rabbits.’ The row headers are the cells in the first column, excluding the first row which is 

the column header. In this case, the row headers are ‘Alabama,’ ‘Arizona,’ ‘Alaska,’ and ‘Arkansas.’ 

State Cats Dogs Rabbits

Alabama 7101 6064 3167

Arizona 9030 9410 4003

Alaska 19009 16980 1075

Arkansas 267 467 131

One way assistive technologies read properly marked up tables (see PDF documentation) is similar to the 

game Battleship. It will read down a column and across a row to a data cell. It will then identify the column 

and row header(s) for that data cell. It will tell someone there are 131 rabbits in the state of Arkansas.

Note: Tables may not be 508 conformant in Word. The final remediation is done in the tags in a PDF or 

HTML file. Formatting tables properly in the source makes it easier to remediate in the final PDF or HTML 

file.

Identify the header(s) for each row and column. Every header cell should have content.

Do not put attach two or more tables together, not even by a blank row or column. Create two separate 

tables. For example, if a document has a 2-column table that list all states and some data for that state, 

leave the tables as a long table with 2 columns. Do not break the table in half and put the second half next 

to the first half to create a table with 4 columns.
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Complex tables

Complex tables are tables that have two or more header rows and/or columns or have cells that span two or 

more rows and/or columns.

When using complex tables ensure that all the data under the column headers is associated with those 

headers. Similarly, all the data in a row is associated with the row headers. 

Location Domestic Wild

State County Cats Dogs Rabbits Bears Deer Moose

Alabama Baldwin 7101 6064 3167 654 91096 30654 

Bibb 6735 367 47 7473 36346 63456 

Alaska Anchorage 19009 16980 1075 1970 9838 14179 

Juneau 634 8585 86 4266 13984 36546 

Sitka 6864 4782 9456 8457 6798 26747 

Arizona Gila 9030 9410 4003 3712 6700 60 

Maricopa 8252 732 3077 37834 3796 21656 

Pima 7356 634 963 23255 346346 2523 

Arkansas Ashley 267 467 131 5764 585 897 

Boone 9672 7832 5633 6155 2323 2622 

Clay 1534 6416 1259 1145 736 63623 

Using the Battleship model discussed in the simple table section, this table is read in the same way. There 

are 131 domestic rabbits in the county of Ashley in the state of Arkansas.

Do not format the table so row headers are placed in cells that span the columns to visually group data: 

Location Domestic Wild

Cats Dogs Rabbits Bears Deer Moose

Alabama 

Baldwin 7101 6064 3167 654 91096 30654

Bibb 6735 367 47 7473 36346 63456

Alaska

Anchorage 19009 16980 1075 1970 9838 14179

Juneau 634 8585 86 4266 13984 36546

Sitka 6864 4782 9456 8457 6798 26747

Arizona

Gila 9030 9410 4003 3712 6700 60

Maricopa 8252 732 3077 37834 3796 21656

Pima 7356 634 963 23255 346346 2523

Arkansas 

Ashley 267 467 131 5764 585 897

Boone 9672 7832 5633 6155 2323 2622

Clay 1534 6416 1259 1145 736 63623

Note: while it is possible to mark up a table like this, it is beyond the scope of this or the PDF/HTML 

documentation.
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Ensure tables are regular. That is, each row has the same number of columns and each column has the same 

number of rows (including row and column spans). Keep the table rectangular. Do not remove a cell 

completely like the one below.

Cats Dogs Rabbits

Alabama 7101 6064 3167

Arizona 9030 9410 4003

Alaska 19009 16980 1075

Arkansas 267 467 131

Forms and Macros

• Forms and documents with macros are beyond the scope of this documentation. Contact the 

Agency Section 508 Coordinator for more information.

Creating an Adobe PDF File from a Microsoft Word 2010 Document:

Go to the “Acrobat” tab. 
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Select “Preferences” in the “Create Adobe PDF” group. On the “Settings” tab under “Application settings”

check “Enable Accessibility and Reflow with tagged Adobe PDF.” Do not check “Enable advanced tagging.” 

Select “OK.” 

Next, select “Create PDF,” which is also on the “Create Adobe PDF” group. DO NOT Print to Adobe PDF. Save 

the Word file if prompted.

NOTE: This does not make the document 508 conformant. Additional steps are required within the PDF file. 

See the documentation on remediating a PDF. 
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References and Resources

• http://www.hhs.gov/web/508/.

• http://webaim.org/standards/508/checklist.

• http://www.access-board.gov/.

• http://www.section508.gov/.

• http://www.ssa.gov/accessibility/508_overview.html.

• http://www.ssa.gov/accessibility/bpl/default.htm.

• https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/complete.html.

• https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/making-files-accessible/index.html.

• https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/ Filtered for WCAG 2.0 A and AA.