Documents
In everyday university life, and particularly in teaching, documents are a widely used medium for conveying information. For example, lectures are supported by presentations, lecture notes are made available as PDF files, and exercise sheets are published as Word documents. If these documents are not made available in an accessible format, their content remains wholly or partially inaccessible to students with certain disabilities, chronic conditions or mental health conditions. Ensuring accessibility is not an exception, but a hallmark of good teaching. It improves clarity, structure and usability for all students. The following checklists and practical guides are designed to support you in this.
Note: The content is taken from the ‘SHUFFLE – University Initiative for Digital Accessibility for All’ project and has been adapted.
Excel (Checklist and Implementation Guide)
Below you will find a summary of information on creating accessible Excel documents. In addition ...
Checklist
Contents: General, Document, Worksheet, Table, Cell, Text, Illustration, Chart, Grouping, Export/...
1. General
Content: References to objects, use of colours, colours for conveying information.. 1.1 Reference...
2. Document
Content: Title of the document, main language. 2.1 Title of the document The title is included in...
3. Worksheet
Contents: Names, Order, Tables, Contents, Notes, Save, Heading/Instructions, Locking. 3.1 Names W...
4. Tables
Content: Labels/Names, Header Row, Nested Tables, Complex Tables, Contrast, Empty Rows. 4.1 Label...
5. Cells
Content: Text Cells, Order, Arrangement. 5.1 Text Cells Text cells that contain only letters shou...
6. Text
Content: Font, Emphasis, Hyperlinks. 6.1 Font The font should be sans serif, for example Arial or...
7. Illustrations, Charts, and Text Boxes
Content: Chart Generation, Names, Alt Text, Description, Text Graphics, Contrast, Animated Graphi...
8. Export/Print
Content: Repeated Header Row, Page Breaks. 8.1 Repeated Header Row Tables that extend over more t...
Bibliography
Kuhlmann, J., Bergmann, S., Günter, J., & Stormer, C. (2025). Accessible Teaching Resource Pack. ...
PDF (Checklist)
A PDF is not usually a format in which content is created, but rather one in which it is provided...
PowerPoint (Checklist and Implementation Guide)
Below you will find consolidated information on creating accessible PowerPoint presentations. In ...
Checklist
Content: General, Presentation, Slide, Text, Links, Headings, Graphics, Tables, Video and Audio. ...
1. General
Content: References to Objects, Use of Colours, Colours for Conveying Information. 1.1 References...
2. Presentation
Content: Main Language, Document Title, Table of Contents. 2.1 Main Language The main language of...
3. Slide
Content: Meaningful Title, Placeholders, Design, Templates, Header and Footer, Reading Order. 3.1...
4. Text
Content: Main Language, Font, Emphasis, Line Spacing, Text Alignment, Paragraphs, Inserting Colum...
5. Links
Content: Hyperlinks, Links to Programs. 5.1 Hyperlinks URLs do not appear as plain text in the bo...
6. Headings
Content: Numbering of Headings, Headings and Captions. 6.1 Numbering of Headings Headings are num...
7. Graphics
Content: Alt Text, Complex Images, Text Graphics, Minimum Contrast for Graphic Elements, Animated...
8. Tables
Content: Creating Tables, Column Headings, Merged Cells, Table Titles, Complex Tables. 8.1 Creati...
9. Video and Audio
Content: Online Videos, Subtitles, Audio Description and Full-Text Alternatives, Transcripts. 9.1...
Bibliography
Kuhlmann, J., Bergmann, S., Günter, J., & Stormer, C. (2025). Accessible Teaching Resource Pack. ...
Word (Checklist and Implementation Guide)
Below you will find consolidated information on creating accessible Word documents. In addition t...
Checklist
Content: General, Document, Text, Links, Headings, Graphics, Tables. The links in the individual ...
1. General
Content: References to Objects, Use of Colours, Colours for Conveying Information. 1.1 References...
2. Document
Content: Main Language, Document Title, Table of Contents, Header and Footer, Footnotes, Endnotes...
3. Text
Content: Language Changes, Font, Emphasis, Line Spacing, Text Alignment, Paragraphs, Page and Col...
4. Links
Content: Hyperlinks, Links to Programs. 4.1 Hyperlinks URLs do not appear as plain text in the bo...
5. Headings
Content: Creating Headings, First Heading, Heading Levels, Heading Order, Numbering of Headings, ...
6. Graphics
Content: Anchored Objects, Alt Text, Complex Images, Text Graphics, Minimum Contrast for Graphic ...
7. Tables
Content: Creating Tables, Header Row, Page Breaks in Tables, Merged Cells, Complex Tables. 7.1 Cr...
Bibliography
Kuhlmann, J., Bergmann, S., Günter, J., & Stormer, C. (2025). Resource pack on accessible teachin...