Accessible Headings

• Accessible Headings that can be read aloud by a screen reader will help individuals with disabilities to navigate through your CV easily.
• To view all your headings, go to View Tab and check the Navigation Pane box.
• To create a heading, highlight a word or line of text, and select a heading level from the Styles box on the Home Ribbon. Your name should be the main heading, and all subsections should be level 2 headings.
• To change the formatting of headings in your document, tight click on a style in the Styles box and select Modify to change font size, style, or color.
• If you create an accessible Headings structure for your document and save your file as a PDF, it will retain your headings as bookmarks.

Accessible Fonts

• Sans serif fonts are the most accessible because they are streamlined and lack the visual details of more complex serif fonts.
• Examples of sans serif fonts include Microsoft Word’s default font Aptos, as well as Calibri, Arial, Verdana, Futura, and Helvetica

Capitalization

Many CVs and Resumes have section headings in All Caps, and these are more difficult for someone to read than text that is in title case. The more accessible option is title case font.

Color

The need to use color is rare for this type of document, but if you do use color, remember not to use it to convey meaning. For example, if you have a list of publications and mention that the publications listed in red or in bold are the ones written at Georgia Tech, this will be difficult for someone who is color blind to determine, and difficult for someone using a screen reader to understand. Instead, create a separate list for those items.

Links

• Use clear contextual hyperlinks that are written in plain language. It is helpful for someone using a screen reader to hear a clear and specific description of where the link goes so they can decide whether to click on it or not.
• Instead of writing out a full URL address as your link, write out the link destination in plain language, highlight it, right click on it, and insert the URL.
• Example of unclear link: Please visit www.gadnr.org/education to learn more about our classes.
• Example of clear link: To learn more about our classes, please visit The Department of Natural Resources Education website (www.gadnr.org/education).

Image Description

• If you have included any images, charts, or graphs in your CV, then you will need to describe these with brief alternative text.
• To add alternative text, right click on the image and navigate to “View Alt Text” and type in one or two sentences to describe the important content for someone who cannot see the image.
• The first sentence should summarize what you see in one general informative sentence. Add details as necessary in your second sentence if needed, and try to keep your alternative text clear and concise.
• Use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation when describing images, and try to avoid acronyms or symbols. Spell these out so that you are sure that they will be read aloud correctly by a screen reader.
• Many CVs separate different sections with horizontal lines, which could show up on the Accessibility Check as an image missing alternative text description. To fix this, run the Accessibility Check on the Review Tab. Navigate to each line that is missing alternative text and simply add the word “Line.”

Headers and Footers

Any information contained in a header or footer in Word will not be read aloud by a screen reader. If you simply have your name and a page number in your footer, this will not cause any accessibility issues, as the screen reader can announce the page number of the document. But keep in mind that any other information, like contact information, that you want accessible to all users should be in the main body of your document.

Tables

• If you include any tables in your CV, make sure to have descriptive column headers, and try not to merge any cells. Merged and split cells make it difficult and confusing for someone to keep track of which column they are listening to with a screen reader.
• Including cell borders for your table will make it easier to read across rows.
• If you have selected a color palette from the Table Design tools in Word, make sure there is a high contrast between the text and the background color.
• If you have put information into a table for layout purposes, just to make the spacing look nice, then this is not a true table and could be presented as a list instead. A good indication of this is if your table has no column headers.
• If it is possible to present your information in a list, that will be a more accessible option for individuals listening with a screen reader.