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Re: hard returns vs before/after spacing style

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From: Karen McCall
Date: Apr 6, 2023 8:07AM

+1
I get the same comments!

Cheers, Karen

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of <EMAIL REMOVED>
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 5:13 PM
To: 'WebAIM Discussion List' < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] hard returns vs before/after spacing style

One of the most common things my student say after a class, especially Accessible Word, is how much faster it takes them to create their reports and other documents.
Shorter time, easier to format, and it's accessible. What's not to love?!

And yet most of what I teach - styles, no manual formatting, page breaks, TOCs, footnotes, et al - has roots in what I taught in my DOS word processing classes in the 1980s.

The second most popular thing I hear from students: why didn't I learn how to do this 20 years ago? I just can't answer that one!

-Bevi Chagnon

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Bevi Chagnon | Designer, Accessibility Technician | <EMAIL REMOVED> - - -
PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing consulting * training * development * design * sec. 508 services Upcoming classes at http://www.pubcom.com/classes
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Latest blog-newsletter - Simple Guide to Writing Alt-Text

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of <EMAIL REMOVED>
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 2:19 PM
To: 'WebAIM Discussion List' < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] hard returns vs before/after spacing style

Custom styles also can save authors time by automatically creating page breaks that do not appear in the middle of paragraphs or table rows. Styles can ensure that headings do not get orphaned at the bottom of pages. I think the default paragraph line height is too dense for body text on 8.5x11 pages It is a bit of an accessibility improvement to bump up the line height.

Jeff Gutsell


-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of Guy Hickling
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 1:44 PM
To: webaim-forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] hard returns vs before/after spacing style

> I have a client who only wants default paragraph style and hard returns.

It's probably just a case that your client has never thought about amending the built-in paragraph styles, or doesn't know how to, and they certainly won't be aware of the "blank blank" syndrome in screen readers. If you explain that to them, and show them how to amend the MS styles, and the advantages to themselves in more consistency, hopefully they'll change.
A11y is really all about educating clients to do the right thing!