Website Accessibility
Website Accessibility Guidelines for Files and Documents
When submitting documents and files to be uploaded to this site, please confirm that they comply with the following requirements. These requirements ensure that all online documents can be made accessible pursuant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
If you have trouble using this site, please email the webmaster.
PDF (Portable Document Format) Files
No scanned documents that have been converted to PDF files will be posted without some alternative or equivalent text-only version, in order to ensure that they can be accessible to visually impaired persons. Files need to be selectable text, and therefore should not be "locked". For an additional resource on how to check a PDF for accessibility, click here.
PowerPoint® Files
Submit PowerPoint® in original file format, not as PDF. Include speaker notes in the PowerPoint® or as a separate text file. Before submitting your file, please make the following adjustments:
- Include alternative text for all graphs, figures, and flow charts. You may add this text in the speaker notes section or include the text in a separate text file. The alternative text should fully describe the graph or figure it supports (e.g., all steps and relationships shown in a flow chart should be explained, trend analysis and data shown in a bar graph should be included, and the point or intent of a figure should be made clear).
- Group the elements of graphs, flowcharts, and figures together
- Change "wingding" bullets to round bullets
- Use tables instead of delineating data with tabs
- Take off any transitional effects and animations
- Include elements that appear on every page of your presentation on a master slide
Word® Files
Submit only MS Word® 2003 files if possible. For files created in an earlier version of Word, open and save them in Word® 2003. Before submitting your file, please make the following adjustments:
- Add styles to your document to format text such as titles, headings and paragraphs (see paragraphs below for creating and modifying styles)
- Use the Columns command to create columns. Do not use tabs to simulate double-column text
- Use the Insert Table command or Draw Table tool to create tables
- Add alternate text to images. You can do this by using the Web tab of the illustrations Properties dialog box in Word® 2000. (Right click on the illustration, select Format Picture from the pop-up menu, and click on the Web tab. Type your description in the Alternate Text window)
- If you create an illustration out of several smaller illustrations, use the Group command to group them into a single illustration
- Do not insert scanned text files into Word documents. All text must be selectable (editable)
Creating Styles in Word®
The quickest way to create a new style is to format a paragraph, select it, and then base the new style on the formatting and other properties applied to the selected text.
- Select the text that contains the formatting you want to use for your style
- On the Formatting toolbar, click inside the Style box
- Type over the existing style name to create the name for the new style.
- Press Enter.
Note: Do not use the Enter key to add space between paragraphs. Instead use the "Spacing Before" and "Spacing After" paragraph properties to achieve this effect.
Modifying a Style in Word®
To quickly change all the text that is formatted with a particular style, you can redefine the style. For example, if your main headings are 14 pt Arial, flush left, and bold, and you later decide you want your headings to be 16 pt, Arial Narrow, and centered, you don't have to reformat every main heading in your document. Instead, just change the properties of that style.
- On the Format menu, click Style.
- Click on the style you wish to change and click on Modify.
- Select the options you want, change the settings, and click OK.
