5.2Accessibility & Compliant Documents
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Alt text is required for any informative image and should describe the information, not the image itself.
- The Accessibility Checker identifies errors, warnings and suggestions for improvement automatically.
- Styles (Heading 1, 2, 3) and table headers are essential for accessible semantic structure.
Fil Imane — Accessibility & compliant documents
Imane is preparing a customer notice accessible to all. It adds alternative texts, checks contrasts, structures titles and checks the document with the accessibility tool.
Continuation of the common thread: a logistics SME in Algiers professionalizes its documents.
1. Why accessibility?
Digital accessibility consists of making content usable by everyone, including people with disabilities (visual, motor, cognitive). In France, the REEN law (2025) imposes the accessibility of public digital content.
An accessible document is more readable for everyone: better structure, more clarity, better navigation by screen readers. This is a win for all users, not just people with disabilities.
Word integrates native accessibility tools: checker, alternative texts, reading order. Mastering them has become essential for any professional writer.
2. Alternative texts (alt text)
Alt text is a short description of an image, read by screen readers for visually impaired users. To add it: right click on the image → Edit alternative text (or Alt+Enter → Size and properties tab).
Best practices for good alternative text:
• Be concise: 1 to 2 sentences, 125 characters maximum.
• Describe the content, not the medium (not “image of” or “photo of”).
• Include the information: if the graph shows an increase of 15%, the alternative text must mention it.
• Decorative images: leave the field empty (screen reader ignores it).
• Complex graphics: describe the key message and link to the text of the document.
3. Accessibility Checker
The Accessibility Checker automatically scans the document and flags issues. Access it via Review → Check Accessibility.
The results are classified into three levels: Errors (blocking problems, e.g.: image without alternative text), Warnings (potential problems, e.g.: low contrast), and Information (suggestions for improvement, e.g.: long text without subtitles).
For each problem, the checker offers an explanation and an automatic or manual correction. Review each category and systematically correct errors. A document with 0 errors and 0 warnings is considered accessible.
4. RGAA compliance and standards
The RGAA (General Reference for Improvement of Accessibility) is the French standard, based on the international WCAG. For publicly distributed Word documents, Level AA compliance is recommended.
Key points of the RGAA applicable to Word documents:
1. Semantic structure: use styles (Heading 1, 2, 3) rather than manual formatting.
2. Alternative texts for all informative images.
3. Logical Reading order (verifiable in the image properties).
4. Sufficient contrast between text and background (minimum ratio 4.5:1).
5. Table with defined headers (table properties → Header).
6. Language of the document entered (File → Properties).
For documents intended for web publishing, convert them to accessible PDF (File → Export → PDF) by checking the accessibility options.
🔎 Concrete example — Real-World Example — Fixing the Accessibility of an Illustrated Report
// Step 1: Review → Check Accessibility
// Result: 8 errors, 5 warnings
// Errors fixed:
// 1. Image 1 → alt text: "Quarterly progress chart
// showing a 12% increase in Q3"
// 2. Image 2 (decorative) → alt text cleared
// 3. Table 1 → properties: "Enable column header"
// 4. Table 2 → properties: "Enable column header"
// Warnings fixed:
// 1. Low contrast → text color changed to black
// 2. Image 5 → alt text added
// 3. List without style → 'Bulleted List' style applied
// Final result: 0 errors, 0 warningsA 30-page report with 15 images, 3 tables and graphs: check and correct accessibility.
Accessibility Checker automatically identifies common issues
Every informative image requires descriptive and concise alt text
Tables must have headers enabled to be readable by screen readers
The contrast between text and background must respect the minimum ratio of 4.5:1
Section vocabulary
- Alternative text (alt text)
- Short description of an image read by screen readers for visually impaired users, accessible via right-click → Edit alternative text
Simple example: Imane applies “alt text” in her professional documents.
What it is not: treat “alt text” as a detail with no impact on the document.
Reflex: Does this choice make the document clearer and more reliable?
- Accessibility Checker
- Word tool (Review → Check Accessibility) that automatically scans the document and flags accessibility issues
Simple example: Imane applies “Accessibility Checker” in her professional documents.
What it is not: Treat “Accessibility Checker” as a detail with no impact on the document.
Reflex: Does this choice make the document clearer and more reliable?
- RGAA
- General Accessibility Improvement Framework, French standard based on WCAG to assess the conformity of digital content
Simple example: Imane applies “RGAA” in her professional documents.
What it is not: treat “RGAA” as a detail with no impact on the document.
Reflex: Does this choice make the document clearer and more reliable?
- Reading order
- Sequence in which document elements are read by a screen reader, which must follow the logical order of the content
Simple example: Imane applies “Reading order” in her professional documents.
What it is not: treat “Reading order” as a detail with no impact on the document.
Reflex: Does this choice make the document clearer and more reliable?
In practice — Make an existing document accessible
- Open the document and launch Review → Check Accessibility
- Fix all errors (images without alt text, tables without headers)
- Fix warnings (contrast, list structure)
- Check the order in which images are played (properties → Image position)
- Enable table headers (right click → Table Properties → Header)
- Rerun the checker to confirm 0 errors and 0 warnings
- If the document will be published as PDF, export via File → Export → PDF with accessibility options
Script ready to say — Accessibility & compliant documents (25 s)
“Check and improve the accessibility of a Word document: alternative texts, reading order, contrast, accessibility checker and compliance with standards. Concretely, I check this point before distributing the document: alternative text is mandatory for any informative image and must describe the information, not the image itself. »
Short wording, to be adapted to the recipient and the context of the document.
Copy and paste template — “Accessibility & compliant documents” checklist
CHECKLIST — Accessibility & compliant documents
1. Alt text is required for any informative image and should describe the information, not the image itself.
2. Accessibility Checker identifies errors, warnings and suggestions for improvement automatically.
3. Styles (Heading 1, 2, 3) and table headers are essential for accessible semantic structure.
4. The RGAA is the French standard: aim for level AA compliance for public documents.
EXPECTED RESULT: A Word document that complies with accessibility standards, ready to be shared or converted into an accessible PDF.Express version
Apply only the essentials and the first key point, then check the rendering in a short document.
Remote
Share a PDF and check fonts, margins and pagination before sending.
As a team
Lock in the common model and document choices to keep colleagues consistent.
Printed version
Check pagination, headers and contrast before printing.
✓ Best practices
- Apply the styles (Heading 1, 2, 3) when writing: this is the basis of the accessible structure.
- Add alternative texts as you insert images, not just at the end of the project.
- Rerun the checker after each correction to validate the progressive improvement.
- For documents published in PDF, always use the “Optimize for Accessibility” option when exporting.
✗ Common pitfalls
- Use manual formatting (size, bold) instead of styles: the structure is unreadable for screen readers.
- Leave alternative texts as default (“Image”): the screen reader reads “Image” without useful information.
- Ignore the accessibility checker: Errors visible on screen may not be visible to a screen reader.
- Forgetting table headers: The screen reader cannot associate cells with their headers.
Key takeaways
- Alt text is required for any informative image and should describe the information, not the image itself.
- The Accessibility Checker identifies errors, warnings and suggestions for improvement automatically.
- Styles (Heading 1, 2, 3) and table headers are essential for accessible semantic structure.
- The RGAA is the French standard: aim for level AA compliance for public documents.
48 hour challenge — apply tomorrow
Resume making an existing document accessible on a real document from Imane's SME: Open the document and launch Review → Check accessibility. Time it for 20 minutes and note what has changed.
- I can explain and apply: Alt text is required for any informative image and should describe the information, not the image itself.
- I can explain and apply: The Accessibility Checker identifies errors, warnings and suggestions for improvement automatically.
- I can explain and apply: Styles (Heading 1, 2, 3) and table headers are essential for accessible semantic structure.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Word document be certified accessible?
Word does not provide certification, but the Accessibility Checker provides a report that you can attach to the document to prove your approach.
Do decorative images require alt text?
Yes, but the field must remain empty. This signals the screen reader to ignore it, which is the desired behavior.
How to check the reading order?
In the properties of each image (Format → Size and property), check the position of the image in the document flow. The order must match the reading logic.
Should an internal document be made accessible?
The REEN law concerns public content, but making internal documents accessible is a good practice that benefits all employees.
Which Word tool automatically checks the accessibility of a document?