Guidelines for Accessible Electronic Communication

Social Media, Websites, Electronic Documents

• Turn on accessibility checkers within programs (Word, PDF, etc.)
• If possible, publish documents in original format rather than in PDF. If saving as a PDF, make all accessibility changes in the original first.
• Minimize use of graphics, photos, logos, charts, tables.
• All graphic objects should have Alt-Attributes (background text labels). See attachment for Alt-Attributes instructions.
  • Alt-attribute description of AF Worcester logo: Logo for Age-Friendly Worcester with conjoined hearts graphic and text that says “The Heart of the Commonwealth”
• Text
  • Large print – enlarge print whenever possible, preferably 16 point
  • Fonts – use sans-serif fonts (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica)
  • Text arrangement – arrange text linearly instead of in different places on the page (e.g., avoid sidebars, pull quotes, tables)
  • Contrast – no “light on light” or “dark on dark” text on backgrounds. Use colors with clear contrast
• Language – use clear language, no jargon, fifth-grade reading level, limit wordiness
• Headings – label all headings so that screen readers can identify them – for example, in Microsoft Word, use the built-in “Styles” tool to select and label your headings.

References and more accessibility information: webaim.com