Accessible Word (implementation guide)

If there are subheadings, there is every level without skipping a level.

What is meant by this?

A clear and stringent hierarchy of headings in a document is important to ensure a logical and structured presentation of the content. If subheadings are used, all levels of the hierarchy should be considered in order to avoid a gap in the structure. A main heading, such as the title, should therefore be followed by a level 1 subheading, then a level 2 subheading and so on. This ensures that readers understand the relationship between the different sections of the document, making it easier to navigate through the document.

Subheadings are headings that are placed below a higher level of headings within a document. They serve to further subdivide and structure the content. For example, a main heading could be "Accessibility", under which there are then subheadings such as "Importance" and "Benefits".

Why is this important?

To ensure that the document is accessible for all recipients, there should be clear and consistent subheadings at each level. This is particularly important for recipients who have the document lectured to them and rely on the headings to help them navigate.

A correct hierarchical structure ensures that users of screen readers and speech output devices can find the content quickly and easily by jumping from heading to heading. However, if the hierarchical structure is not correct, it can be difficult to recognise the connection between the headings and the corresponding text sections and to understand the content of the document.

How can I implement/check it?

To ensure that subheadings in a document take into account each level of the hierarchy, clear and consistent formatting guidelines should be defined. Word offers various formatting functions to create headings and subheadings of different levels (see 5.1).

There are different procedures for checking the level of sub-headings on Mac and Windows operating systems:

For Mac:

1. Click on the first heading in the document.
2. Go to the menu bar and click on the "Start" tab.
3. Click on the "Format templates area" button or on the arrow button pointing downwards.
4. A menu with possible format templates such as "Heading 1", "Heading 2" etc. opens.
5. Under "Current style" you can see which style has been selected for the selected heading.
6. Check whether the first heading has the "Heading 1" style. If the first heading has a subheading, this should have the style "Heading 2" and so on.
7. Repeat these steps for all other headings and subheadings in your document to ensure that they all have the correct styles.

For Windows:

1. Click on the "View" tab in the menu bar.
2. Activate the "Navigation area" option in the "Display" area.
3. All headings in the document that were created with a corresponding style sheet are displayed in the navigation area.
4. Click on the first heading in the navigation area.
5. The document now scrolls to the corresponding heading in the main text.
6. Click on the "Start" tab in the menu bar.
7. Click on the "Styles" button in the "Styles" area.
8. Check whether the first heading in the document is formatted with the "Heading 1" style.
9. Select the next subordinate heading in the navigation area, if available.
10. Check whether it is formatted with the "Heading 2" style.
11. Repeat the process for all other sub-headings.
12. If a style level has been skipped, this must be adjusted for the corresponding heading and all other subheadings.