Accessible Documents: Word, PowerPoint, & Acrobat
Course Overview
This independent-study online training covers principles and processes for:
- Creating accessible document content and structure in Word & PowerPoint.
- Evaluating the accessibility of well-structured Word & PowerPoint documents.
- Optimizing the accessibility of PDFs exported from well-structured Word & PowerPoint documents with Acrobat.
This course is designed for adult learners that have experience creating Word & PowerPoint documents. Web development or design experience is not required.
New cohorts start on the first Monday of each month unless there is a U.S. holiday that week. For details, visit WebAIM's Online Course page.
If you have a team that needs training, we can come to your location and provide a 1/2 or full-day document accessibility training customized to your needs. Learn more about our on-site training options.
Course Format
This video-based training is delivered through the Canvas Catalog learning management system. The course features 33 Learning Activities with an average video length of five minutes. The course is structured into four Modules:
Module 1: Document Content
Objective: Review basic principles and processes for creating accessible document content in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint documents.
- Section 1: Overview of Document Accessibility
- Section 2: Images
- Section 3: Hyperlinks
- Section 4: Contrast & Color Reliance
- Section 5: Simple and Clear Writing, Readability, & Legibility
Module Two: Document Structure
Objective: Review basic principles and processes for creating accessible document structure in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint documents.
- Section 1: Headings in Word
- Section 2: Layouts, Reading Order, & Principles of Accessibility in PowerPoint
- Section 3: Lists & Columns
- Section 4: Tables
Module Three: Evaluating Accessibility & Creating PDFs
Objective: Review processes for utilizing built-in accessibility checkers and an evaluation checklist, installing Adobe PDF Maker, and exporting PDF documents.
- Section 1: Evaluating Accessibility
- Section 2: Practicing Evaluation & Repair
- Section 3: Creating PDFs
Module Four: Optimizing PDFs in Acrobat
Objective: Review how to configure Adobe Acrobat Professional, and how to use it to optimize a PDF exported from a well-structured Microsoft Word or PowerPoint document.
- Section 1: Introduction to Optimizing PDFs
- Section 2: Check Accessibility
- Section 3: Reading Order Tool
- Section 4: Content and Tags Reading Order
One new Module is opened each week, and participants have 60 business days (excluding weekends & US holidays) to complete the course.
Course Assessments
Participants demonstrate their mastery of the course materials through multiple-choice assessments. Each Section of the course has a Quiz with between four and eight questions based on its objectives. Each Module has a ten-question Exam that randomly selects questions from each of the Module's Section Quizzes.
Certificate of Completion
Participants can earn a Certificate of Completion by meeting the following requirements:
- All Section Quiz scores are 100% (with unlimited retakes).
- All Module Exam scores are 80% or better (with one retake per Exam).
These certificates allow individuals and/or organizations to document training and proficiency in creating accessible web documents in common formats.
I liked the organization of the course, particularly the practice handouts.
November 2019 Training Participant
Read more comments from our online training participants.
Course Enrollment and Pricing
The course fee is $125. The Canvas Catalog system allows individual participants to self-enroll in the next available cohort.
Group Participation Options
Group Enrollments
Organizations qualify for a reduced fee when they purchase enrollments for groups of 100 or more participants. WebAIM provides these groups with pre-paid enrollment codes, allowing individual participants to self-enroll over a twelve-month period. WebAIM can also directly enroll a group of participants into a private cohort.
Group Pricing
| Group Size | Enrollment Fee | Discount |
|---|---|---|
| 100 to 250 | $100 each | 20% |
| 251 to 500 | $75 each | 40% |
| 501 to 1000 | $50 each | 60% |
Contact us for pricing for larger groups (e.g., 5000 participants are $25 each).
Service Licenses
Service Licenses provide additional benefits to organizations training larger groups (e.g., monthly progress reports and eighteen-month enrollment periods). Service licenses are available for 1000 participants or more.
Visit WebAIM's Online Course page.