Digital documents are the files UGA faculty, staff, and students share every day — syllabi, reports, memos, slide decks, spreadsheets, and PDFs. When these documents are accessible, everyone in the UGA community can read, navigate, and act on them, regardless of the assistive technology they use.
This page gives you a short overview of digital document accessibility, outlines the core principles that apply to every document type, and links to in-depth guides for specific applications.
Overview
A digital document is any file created for reading, reference, or interaction in electronic form. At UGA, this includes Microsoft Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, Google Docs and Slides, InDesign layouts, and more. Digital documents may be shared by email, posted to websites, uploaded to eLC, or attached to course materials. Regardless of format, every digital document must be usable by everyone who receives it.
Accessibility is not a final step or a last-minute fix. The most reliable way to produce accessible documents is to build them accessibly from the start — a practice often called “born accessible.” Each authoring tool (Word, PowerPoint, Acrobat, Google Docs, InDesign) provides built-in features that make accessible authoring straightforward when you know where to look.
For one-page printable quick references you can keep at your desk, see the Digital Accessibility Field Guides. For deeper, step-by-step walkthroughs for each document type, use the document-specific guides linked below.
Why digital document accessibility matters
Digital documents reach a wide audience, and not everyone reads them the same way. An accessible document works for:
- Screen reader users who rely on real headings, alt text, and table structure to navigate and understand content.
- Users with low vision who zoom in, adjust font sizes, change colors, or depend on high-contrast text.
- Keyboard-only and switch-device users who cannot use a mouse or touchpad to navigate through links, form fields, or interactive elements.
- Users with cognitive, learning, or attention differences who benefit from clear structure, short paragraphs, plain language, and consistent formatting.
- Users who are deaf or hard of hearing when documents embed audio or video and rely on captions, transcripts, or alternatives.
- Users on mobile devices who need documents that reflow rather than lock to a fixed page width.
- All readers who benefit from scannable structure, meaningful filenames, and clear link text when looking something up quickly.
Accessibility also supports UGA’s obligations under ADA Title II and alignment with WCAG 2.1 AA. Producing accessible documents from the start saves remediation time downstream and ensures a consistent experience whether a document is shared internally, posted publicly, or required in legal and official contexts.
Core principles for every document
While each document format has its own authoring tools, the underlying principles of digital document accessibility are the same. Whether you are writing in Word, building a slide deck, designing a layout in InDesign, or finalizing a PDF, the following ideas apply.
Use real structure, not visual formatting
Use the authoring tool’s built-in Heading, List, and Table features — not larger bold text, typed bullet characters, or tables drawn with tabs and spaces. Real structure lets screen readers build an outline, announce list positions, and associate data cells with their headers. See the Headings, Lists, and Tables techniques for specifics.
Describe every meaningful image
Images, charts, icons, SmartArt, and other visual content need alternative text that describes their meaning — not the filename, dimensions, or “photo of.” Purely decorative visuals should be marked as decorative so they are skipped by screen readers. See the Images technique for guidance.
Write meaningful link text
Link text should describe where the link goes, not rely on “click here” or raw URLs. Screen reader users often navigate by tabbing through a list of links out of context. See the Links and Buttons technique for guidance.
Design with color and contrast in mind
Body text needs at least 4.5:1 contrast against its background; large text needs 3:1. Color alone should never be the only way meaning, status, or action is conveyed — always pair color with text, symbol, or pattern. See the Color contrast and Visual characteristics techniques.
Set the document title and language
Every document should have a descriptive Title in its metadata (not the filename) and a correctly identified language. These two properties control what screen readers announce when the document opens and how text is pronounced. See the Titles and Language techniques.
Use the built-in accessibility checker
Microsoft Office, Acrobat Pro, Google Workspace, and InDesign each include an accessibility checker. These tools do not catch everything, but they catch the most common errors. Always run the checker before sharing a document, then do a short manual review of reading order, heading outline, and image descriptions.
Document-specific guides
The guides below provide step-by-step, practical guidance for creating accessible documents in specific formats. At this time, these guides are hosted in the EITS Knowledge Base and are linked here for easy access. As the Digital Accessibility Services Hub continues to develop, these guides will be migrated to the DASH website and expanded to cover additional document types.
Creating Accessible Word Documents
This guide provides essential practices for creating accessible Word documents at UGA, including the use of headings and styles, clear document structure, alt text for images, accessible tables, readable formatting, and exporting tagged PDFs. These practices support inclusive access and help meet ADA Title II and WCAG 2.1 requirements.
PDF Accessibility: Best Practices
This guide outlines core best practices for creating accessible PDFs, including exporting tagged documents, ensuring text is selectable, applying proper structure and metadata, and using Adobe Acrobat accessibility checking tools. These steps support inclusive access and align with ADA Title II and WCAG 2.1 expectations.
PowerPoint Accessibility: Best Practices
This guide covers key practices for creating accessible PowerPoint presentations, including slide titles, logical reading order, sufficient color contrast, alt text for images, captions for media, and the use of live subtitles. These practices support inclusive teaching and learning at UGA. A more detailed UGA-specific “Creating Accessible PowerPoint Slide Shows” guide is currently in development and will be published on the Digital Accessibility Services Hub.
More guides coming soon
DASH is actively developing additional document-specific guides tailored to UGA’s needs. Planned guides include:
- Creating Accessible Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets
- Creating Accessible Google Docs and Google Slides
- Creating Accessible Adobe InDesign Documents
- An expanded, UGA-specific “Creating Accessible PowerPoint Slide Shows” guide
As these guides are completed and reviewed, they will be published on the DASH website. In the meantime:
- Use the Digital Accessibility Field Guides as one-page printable quick references for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Adobe PDF.
- Apply the Core principles for every document above — those ideas apply to every document type, regardless of the authoring tool.
- For urgent or complex accessibility questions, contact DASH at [email protected]. The DASH Team can provide individual consultations while additional guides are in development.
If there is a document type you frequently use that is not yet covered, let us know — DASH prioritizes new guides based on the needs of the UGA community.
Getting help
If you have questions or need assistance creating accessible digital documents, the Digital Accessibility Services Hub (DASH) is available to support colleges, schools, and administrative units as they build sustainable accessibility practices.
- Contact DASH at [email protected] for consultations, training, or technical assistance.
- Visit the DASH training page for resources and learning opportunities.
- Contact the EITS Help Desk for technical support with UGA systems and tools.
Accessibility is a shared responsibility, and every step you take makes UGA’s digital environment more inclusive.