Adding Alt Text to Embedded Objects in Office
Data accessibility is becoming a very critical part of software development but I think many of us forget to address accessibility where it is most common in our day to day computer use. There are many different Microsoft Office applications so I’m really only going to address some accessibility issues in PowerPoint and Word in this post.
It’s easy to create a document and throw in a picture or graphic but by doing so it can quickly make that document non-compliant (at least to the section 508 accessibility standards.) It can also keep screen reader programs such as JAWS from identifying and reading these graphics. So in a Word document just how would we make it accessible?
Alternative text is really the key as most screen readers can easily read through the normal text of the document but usually hiccup when coming across a picture, chart or some other graphic. By simply adding alternate text to these graphics you can help ensure that you’re document is readable (in a sense) by everyone.
Word reacts very similar to Outlook so this is a two for one as the below steps should work for the corresponding Outlook version as well.
Office 2003 (Word):
With an image embedded in your document…
1. Right click image
2. Select “Format Picture…” (there is also a “Format Picture…” available in picture toolbar
3. Select “Web” tab
4. Type Alternative Text in the field that matches the content of the graphic
5. Select “OK” button
Office 2007 (Word)
With an image embedded in your document…
1. Right click on image
2. Select “Size”
3. Select “Alt Text” tab
4. Type Alternative Text in the field that matches the content of the graphic
5. Select “Close” button
Keep in mind there are multiple scenarios depending on your expertise and usage of Word. The rule of thumb is that if you are conveying a message with something other than text, it should also have a textual representation. Links tend to be self explanatory but what about a button that launches a link? The buttons alternative text should be something like “Select here to go to http://bayfirstaccessibility.wordpress.com/”
There are additional benefits to the practice of adding alternative text in that when saved as an .htm or .html file the alt text will appear for all users when the graphic is scrolled over with the mouse and be read by assistive technologies like screen readers. There are some differences between the two versions of Word but the end result is the same…you have now made your embedded graphics in a Word document accessible.
Office 2003 (PowerPoint)
1. Right click on image
2. Select “Format”
3. Select the “Web” tab
4. Type Alternative Text in the field that matches the content of the graphic
5. Select the “OK” button
Office 2007 (PowerPoint)
1. Right click on image
2. Select “Size and Position”
3. Select “Alt Text” tab
4. Type text into “Alternative Text” field. (Text should generally describe the graphic it is referring to).
5. Select “Close” button
Making a PowerPoint presentation fully accessible is its own monster and there are third party tools that can assist you but they come with a price tag. Really there are only a couple of ways to really make a PowerPoint presentation fully accessible. The first option is to simply create an .html version of your presentation and this is what some third party tools will assist with. The other which to me is more feasible is to utilize the Outline function of PowerPoint. Utilizing the outline and using metadata along with alternate text gives you the best opportunity to be accessibility compliant.
While the thought of making your items such as Word documents or PowerPoint presentations accessible may sound a little scary, I hope I’ve been able to show you a few very simple ways you can help make these items accessible for anyone that may be using or viewing them.