Structure

Content that relies solely on visual styling to communicate purpose or function may exclude users of assistive technology. Assistive technology such as screen readers and text-to-speech tools require specific markup to convey meaning. For example, a proper heading should include larger, bolded font to stand out to sighted readers, but must be properly created to provide the equivalent meaning to all readers. Ensure headings, lists, and tables are created using the proper tools.

On this page:

• Headings
• Tables
• Lists
• Columns

Headings

Structured documents are essential for assistive technology, but helps all readers navigate documents efficiently and understand relationships between topics. Brief but descriptive headings help all users navigate quickly to information they need, understand the purpose of various sections, and break up large blocks of text to increase readability.

Use the Word Styles gallery to set headings.

Press Control Alt (Command Option on macOS) 1, 2, or 3 to set heading 1, 2, or 3.

Begin with a heading 1 as the broadest, most important level, such as a title. Heading level 2 should be for major sections and heading level 3 as subsections of the preceding heading 2.

Increase by one heading level at a time. Never skip a heading level. Any other type of content can follow any heading level.

*Note, in Word the Title style should not be used as it only visual styling and does not convey meaning to assistive technology. Use a heading 1 for your title.

Verify heading structure via View > Navigation.

Click and drag headings to move heading and all text under that heading in the document.

To modify the appearance of headings, right-click on a style and click Modify Style.

Modify the formatting of the style. Select New documents based on this template to set the new style for all new documents. Learn more about customizing or creating new styles in Word.

Word allows for multiple visual styles for the same heading level.

Table of Contents

If your document is more than 8 pages, include a table of contents to provide an overview and assist users to skip to specific parts of a document.

Navigate to the References tab and select Table of Contents. Word will use the document’s heading structure to automatically generate a table of contents. Each section in the table of contents links to the relevant part of the document.

Tables

Tables are useful for organizing data. Properly built and formatted tables are accessible.

To insert a table in Word:

1. Move to the Insert tab.
2. In the Table group, choose Insert Table.
3. Indicate number of columns and rows and press Ok.
   1. You can add columns and rows later.

Set a header row/column:

1. Click anywhere in your table.
2. Select Table > Table Design tab > click Header Row (and/or First Column, if column is a header) checkbox.
3. Select Banded Rows or Banded Columns for a landscape document.
4. Select the header row then navigate to Table Layout, select Repeat Header Rows to repeat headers across page breaks.
5. Accessible tables in Word can only have one header row, one header column, or both.

Right-click on table and select Table Properties for advanced table options via the table properties dialogue.

In some instances it may make sense to add alt text to a table as a summary. To do so:

1. Navigate to Table Properties
2. Select the Alt Text tab
3. Add a Title and a Description
4. Click Ok

Table Best Practices

• Tables must have a header and/or column row.
• A concise, descriptive table title helps with context and organization
• Do not use nested, merged, split, or unnecessary blank cells
• Ensure cells have adequate padding and margins
• Do not use coloured cells or text alone to indicate meaning
• Do not use tables with invisible borders to format layout
• Office accessibility checker does not note table errors
  • Click in the top left cell, then use the Tab key to see ensure your table reading order is logical and consistent

Learn more about creating accessible tables in Word.

To ensure accessible structure avoid invisible tables, text boxes, and repeated tabs, spaces, or returns. Instead:

• Create columns using Layout > Columns.
• Change spacing before and after paragraphs via Home > Line Spacing Options.
• Manually create a line break by pressing Shift and Enter.
• Of repeatedly pressing Enter, use Insert > Page Break.
• Of repeatedly pressing Tab or Spacebar, navigate to Home > Increase/Decrease Indent or use the indent markers on the horizontal ruler (View > Ruler).

Lists

Use the list tools to create lists. Creating lists using asterisks or dashes will not inform assistive technology that the content is part of a list. Lists are useful for steps in a process or grouping items. It is important that everyone is made aware of the presence of a list.

• Use bullet lists for unorganized lists
• Lists where the sequence is not important

1. Use numbered lists for items where sequence is important
2. Such as steps in a process

To create a list in Word:

1. On the Home tab.
2. Select Bullets, Numbering, or Multilevel List.
   
   1. The dropdowns accompanying each style offer more list options and customization.
3. To verify a list has been properly created: Press Enter after a list item and a new bullet or number should automatically appear on the next line.

Columns

Use the Columns tool to create columnar layouts in Word. Type content in Word and navigate to Layout and select Columns. 

Choose the desired number of columns. It is recommended to create and format content before applying column layouts to avoid excess work and potential issues. To learn more about columns in Word, read columns dialog box and adjusting column widths on the Microsoft Support website.

Word will automatically apply columns breaks, but it is possible to manually insert column breaks.