Accessible Word (implementation guide)
3. Text
3.6. Paragraphs
Paragraphs are not created with tabs or soft line breaks, but with paragraph breaks (i.e. there are no blank lines in the document).
What is meant by this?
A new paragraph in a document should be created with a paragraph break instead of a tab or a soft line break. A paragraph break is a function that is used to end a paragraph and start a new paragraph on the next line. A paragraph break is used to start a new paragraph without inserting additional line spacing between the two paragraphs.
Why is it important?
It is important to avoid the use of soft line breaks and to use paragraph breaks instead. Recipients with screen readers navigate from paragraph to paragraph within texts and have the beginnings read out to them in order to grasp the content of the paragraph. If a soft line break is used to separate paragraphs, the screen reader does not recognise this as a new paragraph and "New line" or "Blank line" is read out, which can disrupt the reading flow.
This can make the text unnecessarily long and confusing for recipients who use a screen reader or voice output. It can also make the content of the document more difficult to grasp, as the connection between the paragraphs is distorted. Instead of blank lines, paragraph spacing should therefore be used to structure the text. Paragraph spacing adds additional space between paragraphs without causing unnecessary breakdowns when lecturing.
How can I implement/check it?
In Microsoft Word, you can create a paragraph break in various ways:
- Using the ribbon: Click on the "Insert" tab and then on the arrow next to "Symbol". Select "Paragraph mark" from the drop-down menu to insert the paragraph break.
- Use the context menu: Right-click where you want to insert the paragraph break. Select "Insert paragraph break" from the context menu.
- Using the Enter key: Press the Enter key on your keyboard at the point where you want to insert the paragraph break.
There are different procedures for checking your document for paragraphs, depending on the operating system:
For Mac:
- Click on the "Start" tab at the top of the menu bar.
- In the "Paragraph" group, click on the "Display/hide symbol" button (a symbol with the appearance of "¶"). This makes all paragraph formatting in the document visible.
- Check the document for empty lines. These should only consist of the "¶" symbol.
- Remove all other symbols (e.g. spaces, tabs) with the support of the "Del" or "Backspace" key.
- Instead, insert a paragraph break at each point where you want a new line to start by pressing the "Enter" key.
- Check the document again for empty lines to ensure that all paragraphs are separated by paragraph breaks and not empty lines.
For Windows:
- Click on the "Start" tab in the menu bar at the top.
- Look for the icon with the name "Display all". It is usually located in the "Paragraph" group and looks like a "¶" symbol. Click on it. This will make all paragraph formatting in the document visible, including any blank lines that may be present.
- Check whether there are blank lines in the document. They should only consist of the "¶" symbol.
- Remove other symbols that may be present in the blank lines or elsewhere in the document by selecting them and pressing the "Del" or "Backspace" key on your keyboard.