Advanced Creating Accessible Documents: Microsoft Office

To take part in online training for Advanced Creating Accessible Documents: Microsoft Office, you will need the following:

Access to a desktop/laptop computer with a stable internet connection
Course Handbook (we will provide)
Working headphones/microphone/speakers
Access to Teams meetings
*Please Note: If you register to complete the Creating Accessible Documents training online, you will require Microsoft Office (2016 or later for PC and 2016 or later for Mac OS) installed on your computer to take part in remote training. It is recommended that users have Office 365 as this will be used by the trainer. If you do not have this already, you may be able to install a trial version (subject to the software owner’s agreement). Please bear this in mind when choosing to attend a remote version of this training.

Microsoft Office is used for nearly all the communications that organisations provide as online documents, send as emails, or convert to HTML. Ensuring the information we create in Microsoft Office is fully optimised for accessibility is an essential ingredient for a sustainable accessibility strategy. This advanced workshop will teach the skills needed to create accessible Word documents, Excel workbooks, PowerPoint presentations and Outlook emails.

Suitable for anyone who uses Microsoft Office, we’ll teach you how to ensure your digital communications are accessible to everyone, including people with a disability.

Developed in accordance with WCAG 2.2 and best practices cultivated by our team of experts, this workshop supports inclusive design in alignment with the Australian Government’s Digital Service Standard.

Course Content

This highly comprehensive course was designed for a general audience – no prior knowledge of accessibility is required. Taught using Microsoft Office 365 on PC, a basic working knowledge of Microsoft Office is recommended. Those who use a different version of Office (especially 2016 or 2019 desktop) are encouraged to attend as the learning outcomes will be the same.

Background to document accessibility
- How inaccessible documents affect different disability groups
- How people use assistive technologies to access content within digital documents
- Australian legal requirements
- Applicability of WCAG and PDF/UA standards to electronic documents

Techniques to create accessible Office documents:
- Language
- Use of colours
- Text format
- Links
- Layout

Techniques for accessible Word documents:
- Accessibility assistant
- Headings
- Lists
- Blank lines and spacing
- Images and alternative text
- Links
- Simple tables
- Complex tables
- Columns
- Table of contents
- Text boxes
- Document title

Techniques to create accessible forms:
- Simple
- Simulating form controls using tables
- Interactive
- Associate fields with labels
- Test and modify the focus order
- Apply editing restrictions
- Adding Help Key (F1) help
- Error messages

Core techniques for accessible Excel spreadsheets:
- Instructions
- Table of contents
- Worksheet title
- Charts
- Data Tables

Core techniques for accessible PowerPoint presentations:
- Slide layout
- Images and shapes
- Reading order
- Motion, flashing, transitions and animations

Core techniques for accessible Outlook emails:
- Format
- Structure in HTML documents

Course Materials

You’ll receive a comprehensive manual containing:

Step-by-step instructions on how to implement techniques using Microsoft Office.
The rationale for using specific techniques and positive impacts for the end-user.
Explanations, examples, tips and tricks to help you apply accessible practices day-to-day.

Cost

Price listed is per person, including GST.

$825 full fee
$745 (group booking 4 + attendees)

Timetable

Tuesdays 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm AEDT
March 3, 10, 17, 24

Cancellations

You may only cancel your registration by written notice to digitalaccesstraining@visionaustralia.org. See below for our refund policy.

Course enquiries

Email: digitalaccesstraining@visionaustralia.org

Advanced Creating Accessible Documents: Microsoft Office - March 2026: Vision Australia

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