Accessible Word (implementation guide)

In a document, page or column breaks should not be created by inserting blank lines (using the Enter key). Instead, the page or column break functions should be used to create a clear separation.

A page or column break is a function that can be used to mark the end of a page or column and start a new section. Page or column breaks are used, for example, to create a document with several columns or to ensure that a new chapter starts on a new page. They can be added manually or generated automatically by Word, depending on the settings.

The use of blank lines instead of page or column breaks can lead to barriers. This is because screen readers and speech outputs have difficulty interpreting the text correctly when blank lines are used to create a new paragraph structure. In particular, blank lines created by simply using the Enter key can be read out as "blank", which disrupts the reading flow.

In Microsoft Word, you can insert a page or column break as follows:

• Page break: Click on "Insert" and then on "Page break".
• Column break: Click on "Page layout" and then on "Columns" and select the number of columns. If you already have a column and want to add another one, position the cursor where you want to insert the column and click on "Layout" and then on "Columns" and select "More columns".

In order to check whether page or column breaks have been created correctly, you will need to follow different procedures for Windows and Mac operating systems:

For Mac:

1. Click on "Start" in the menu bar at the top.
2. Click on the "Show/hide formatting characters" button with the "¶" symbol. This will make all paragraph formatting visible in the document.
3. Check the document for page or column breaks. If these were made using the page break functions available under "Layout", they are explicitly labelled as "Page break" or "Column break" in the document.
4. If page or column breaks are not explicitly labelled, look for many empty lines in the document.
5. Replace the empty lines by using the paragraph formatting option "Page break" or "Column break", as required.
6. Check the document again to ensure that all page and column breaks are correctly labelled and that there are no unwanted blank lines.

For Windows:

1. Click on the "Start" tab.
2. In the "Paragraph" area, click on the "Display all" button with the "¶" symbol. This makes all paragraph formatting in the document visible.
3. Check the document for page or column breaks. If these were made using the page break functions available under "Layout", they are explicitly labelled as "Page break" or "Column break" in the document.
4. If page or column breaks are not explicitly labelled, look for many empty lines in the document.
5. Replace the empty lines by using the paragraph formatting option "Page break" or "Column break", as required.
6. Check the document again to ensure that all page and column breaks are correctly labelled and that there are no unwanted blank lines.