Accessible Documents: Word, PowerPoint, & Acrobat

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.
• Creating accessible document content and structure in Excel (bonus module).

This course is designed for adult learners that have experience creating Word & PowerPoint documents. Web development or design experience is not required.

Delivery

The course is delivered through the Canvas Catalog learning management system. Enrolled participants have 24/7 access to technical support for Catalog in English and Spanish.

New cohorts start on the first Monday of each month unless there is a U.S. holiday that week. Participants have 60 business days (excluding weekends & US holidays) to complete the course.

Structure

I like that you had so many tools available. There was the video, the electronic output on the page to review, copies of the documents you could download and follow along. That's the most information I've had available for a course before.
January 2025 training participant

This video-based training features 39 learning activities with an average video length of five minutes. These videos have open captions and are accompanied by descriptive, multimedia transcripts.

The course is organized into four main modules and one bonus module:

Module 1: Document Content

Objective: Review basic principles and processes for optimizing the accessibility of document content in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.

• Section 1: Overview of Document Accessibility
• Section 2: Images
• Section 3: Hyperlinks
• Section 4: Contrast & Color Reliance
• Section 5: Optimizing Writing

Module Two: Document Structure

Objective: Review basic principles and processes for optimizing the accessibility of document structure in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.

• Section 1: Headings in Word
• Section 2: Optimizing PowerPoint Presentations
• 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: Checking Accessibility
• Section 3: Reading Order Tool
• Section 4: Content Order and Tags Order

Module Five: Accessible Excel (bonus module)

Objective: Review basic principles and processes for optimizing document structure, and for utilizing a built-in accessibility checker, in Excel documents.

• Section 1: Navigating in Excel
• Section 2: Sheets & Tables
• Section 3: Images & Links
• Section 4: Charts
• Section 5: Optimizing Workbooks
• Section 6: Evaluating Accessibility in Excel

The timing of the learning modules was perfect. I needed time to learn, and it had to fit into my busy work schedule.
2023 training participant

One new module is opened each week during the first five weeks of the course. Each module takes between 2 and 4 hours for most participants to complete. The average time to complete the four main modules is 10 hours.

Assessments, Certificates, & CEUs

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. Participants pass the course by meeting the following requirements for the four main modules:

• All section quiz scores are 100% (with unlimited retakes).
• All module exam scores are 80% or better (with one retake per exam).

Certificates of Completion

Participants that pass the course are eligible to be awarded a Certificate of Completion. These certificates allow individuals and/or organizations to document mastery of the course content and proficiency in creating accessible web documents in common formats.

Continuing Education Units

Participants that meet the assessment requirements are eligible to be awarded 1.5 Continuing Education Units through the Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences department at Utah State University. The registration of a CEU requires an additional recording fee of $45.

Enrollment

Individual course enrollments are US$ 125. Self-enrollment through a secure credit card payment is available at WebAIM's Online Course page.

Please contact us directly for payment by check, purchase order, or wire transfer. Prepaid enrollments valid for 12 months are available.

Group Training

We specialize in training groups of 100 or more participants, and offer discounted pricing based on group size.

Group Pricing

Group Size	Enrollment	Discount
100 to 250	$100	20%
251 to 500	$75	40%
Over 500	$50	60%

Group Support Services

Clients that train groups of 100 or more also receive additional support services:

• Enrollment period extended from 12 to 18 months.
• Custom registration pages facilitate self-enrollments.
• Certificates of Completion automatically issued for qualifying participants.
• Reporting on participant outcomes available online.

Free Training for People with Disabilities

Being a person with a disability, I’m always looking for new ways to make my training products accessible to all. Taking this training gave me the opportunity to create accessible templates, to help my colleagues create accessible documents.
Scholarship Program participant

People with disabilities may enroll in the course without cost through our Scholarship Program. The scholarship program was launched in 2020. To date, participants from six continents and more than a dozen countries have been enrolled through this program.