Is your communication clear to people with visual impairments?

* Points of attention that do not require much time/energy/money

  • Make sure signs are clear and large enough.
  • Use high-contrast colors (dark text on a light background is preferred). Don't rely on color to convey meaning: use patterns or other indicators such as text for diagrams or charts.
  • Use a non-italic font of at least 12pt in Word and 24pt in PowerPoint.
  • Use formatting to create a hierarchy, such as Title, Header 1, Header 2, and so on, and use headers in tables. This facilitates navigation for screen readers of people with visual impairments and provides visual cues for sighted users.
  • Create lists and enumerations using the menu bar (via bullets or numbering). Never use other characters such as asterisks (*) to build "fake" lists - this is important for screen readers.
  • For a Word document:
    • If you want to put text in columns, don't use a table but create a column layout (via 'layout').
    • Align your text on the left (not filled out).
    • Tables:
      • Do not use spaces or tabs to create a table. Go through "Insert > Insert Table.
      • Information should be understandable when the table is read row by row.
      • Avoid merging cells into table headers.
      • Make sure a cell does not contain too much information.
      • For tables that span multiple pages, make sure the table header is repeated. Right-click on the table and go to "Table Properties," tab "Row - Repeat row as field name row on each page.
    • Check the accessibility of your document with the Check Accessibility feature.
  • For a PowerPoint:
    • Make sure the slides are readable, even for participants sitting at the back.
    • Limit the text in the slides.
    • Avoid animations or transitions - this can cause nausea, headaches and dizziness for persons with inner ear disorders.
  • Check that your video is intelligible and/or understandable to people who cannot see the image (properly).
  • When speaking, be careful to use phrases such as "up to here," "here we see," ... - these are not clear to visually impaired people.
  • You can easily check if your website is accessible at https://silktide.com/toolbar/

** Points of attention that are a bit more difficult

  • If you convert a word document to a PDF file, when you save, choose the 'Document Structure Labels for Accessibility' option. You can estimate how accessible the PDF is by having it read aloud via 'View', then 'Read aloud', then 'Enable aloud reading'.
  • Use built-in accessibility checks and solicit user feedback. In PowerPoint, you can do this by clicking on "files," then "info," then "check for problems," then "check accessibility”.
  • Do not embed essential information in an image. Screen readers often cannot decipher images. Include an image description each time (via alternative text: right-click on the image and select 'Format Image'. Click on 'Size and properties' and enter the alternative text. Via reading software, the images will then become accessible to people with visual impairments). This is also best done for videos.
  • Add subtitles to videos.

Social media

* Points of attention that do not require much time/energy/money

  • Avoid using (or use minimal) emojis. Screen readers of people with visual impairments cannot always translate them. Also provide customizable versions whenever possible (e.g., skin color).
  • Use generic fonts (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, UGent Panno Text,...)
  • Use capital letters in your hashtags (such as: #EachWordWithACapital letter).
  • Include image descriptions of your post.