Accessible Word (implementation guide)
The implementation aid Word barrier-free serves as support for the Word barrier-free checklist. The order of the aspects and the structure according to categories are the same.
Each aspect is divided into three sections in the implementation guide:
Under the heading "What is meant by this? " you will find a detailed description of the aspect to be ticked off. The section "Why is it important?" describes which barriers you are removing with the respective aspect and for which groups of people this is essential. Finally, under the heading "How can I implement/check this?" you will find detailed instructions on how to implement or check the respective aspect.
3. Text
3.5. Text alignment
The text is left-aligned.
What does that mean?
A left-aligned text is aligned to the left margin of the document. This means that all line beginnings are vertically aligned and the line ends run out freely on the right.
The left-aligned alignment is the standard alignment for most word processing programmes such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs and is often used for continuous text such as articles, reports or letters.
Why is this important?
Left-aligned formatting helps recipients who have difficulty following the flow of reading, as the lines of text start on a common left-hand margin and are therefore easier to follow. If the lines are of different lengths, it is easier to jump from one line to the next with the eyes. As justified text causes irregularly large spaces between words and more frequent word breaks, especially in narrow columns, left-aligned flush typesetting is preferable.
How can I implement/check it?
In Microsoft Word, the alignment can be done via the Home tab and the Paragraph button. The alignment can be set to "Left" there.
There are different procedures for testing the Mac and Windows operating systems:
For Mac:
- Select the section of text in the document whose alignment you want to check.
- Right-click on the selected area.
Alternative:
- Select the section of text in the document whose alignment you want to check.
- Then click on "Start" in the menu bar at the top.
It follows:
- Select the "Paragraph" option from the context menu.
- In the paragraph menu, click on "Indents and spacing".
- You should be able to see the selected alignment in the window that opens. This should be left-aligned.
- If the field is empty, this means that there are different alignments in the selected text area.
For Windows:
- Select the section of text in the document whose alignment you want to check.
- Then click on "Start" in the menu bar at the top.
Alternative:
- Select the section of text in the document whose alignment you want to check.
- Right-click on the selected area.
It follows:
- Locate the "Paragraph" area in the menu bar.
- There are four buttons for text alignment in this area: left-aligned, centred, right-aligned, justified.
- Check which of the buttons is highlighted in grey. This is the current alignment of the text you have selected.