{"id":11746,"date":"2021-06-08T13:29:47","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T17:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/?page_id=11746"},"modified":"2025-11-19T07:28:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T12:28:19","slug":"documents","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/accessibility\/documents\/","title":{"rendered":"Documents"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Documents (PDFs, Word files, and PowerPoints) are one of the most common accessibility issues across School of Medicine websites. Every document on your site\u00a0<strong>must meet accessibility standards<\/strong> before being uploaded. These documents must have specific structure, tags and labels to ensure they are readable by assistive technology. This page summarizes the key accessibility requirements. For full instructions on uploading and linking to documents, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/userguide\/media\/documents\/\">Documents<\/a> section in the User Guide.<\/p>\n<hr  style=\"margin:\u201c30\u201dpx 0\"class=\" \u201crule-thin\u201d osc-rule\" \/>\n<h2>Why Accessible Documents Matter<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>When documents aren\u2019t created with accessibility in mind, large portions of your audience may not be able to open, read, or navigate them.<\/li>\n<li>Search engines cannot index inaccessible documents well, which reduces visibility and SEO.<\/li>\n<li>Accessible documents benefit everyone, especially users on mobile devices who rely on text that can reflow, resize, or be searched.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr  style=\"margin:\u201c30\u201dpx 0\"class=\" \u201crule-thin\u201d osc-rule\" \/>\n<h2>Use Web Pages Instead of Documents Whenever Possible<\/h2>\n<p>Web pages are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Easier to make accessible than documents<\/li>\n<li>Mobile-friendly<\/li>\n<li>Search-engine friendly<\/li>\n<li>Faster for users to read and navigate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If users are meant to read the information online, publish it as page content instead of relying on a downloadable file.<\/p>\n<hr  style=\"margin:\u201c30\u201dpx 0\"class=\" \u201crule-thin\u201d osc-rule\" \/>\n<h2>Key Requirements for Accessible Documents<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Ensure All Documents Meet Accessibility Standards<\/h3>\n<p>Before uploading, confirm the document includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Proper heading structure<\/li>\n<li>Real text (not scanned images of text)<\/li>\n<li>Readable fonts and sufficient color contrast<\/li>\n<li>Descriptive link text<\/li>\n<li>Alternative text for meaningful images<\/li>\n<li>Correct document language and reading order<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Free Training From the DAO<\/h4>\n<p>UNC\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalaccessibility.unc.edu\/\">Digital Accessibility Office (DAO)<\/a> offers <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalaccessibility.unc.edu\/training\/\">free training to help you create accessible documents<\/a>. Training options include live Zoom sessions and self-paced online courses that cover how to fix common accessibility issues in Word, PDF, PowerPoint, and Excel files.<\/p>\n<a class=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg  oscitas-bootstrap-container\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/digitalaccessibility.unc.edu\/training\/\">View DAO's accessibility training<\/a>\n<h4>Accessibility Checklists<\/h4>\n<p>The DAO also provides accessibility checklists to help you verify your documents meet UNC\u2019s standards before uploading them to your site:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalaccessibility.unc.edu\/word-accessibility\/\">Word Accessibility Checklist<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalaccessibility.unc.edu\/pdf-accessibility\/\">PDF Accessibility Checklist<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Ensure the Document is Intended For Public Sharing<\/h3>\n<p>If you are not the document\u2019s creator, review it carefully before uploading. We\u2019ve seen cases where:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>CV files attached to faculty profiles included home addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, leading to patients contacting faculty at home.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/userguide\/media\/documents\/journals\/\">Copyrighted journals<\/a> were uploaded without proper permission.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If a document is not accessible, or appropriate for public posting, contact the content owner and request an updated, accessible version.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Use Clear, Descriptive File Names<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Rename files before uploading (e.g., annual-report-2025.pdf instead of final_version.pdf).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Use Meaningful Link Text<\/h3>\n<p>When linking to documents, make sure the link text is\u00a0<strong>clear<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>descriptive<\/strong>, and\u00a0<strong>meaningful<\/strong>. It should accurately describe the destination or purpose of the link \u2014 not just say \u201cclick here\u201d or \u201cread more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Link text must make sense when read out of context. This is especially important for users navigating with screen readers. Learn more about and view examples of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/userguide\/getting-started\/links\/#link-text\">meaningful link text<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr  style=\"margin:30px 0\"class=\" rule-thin osc-rule\" \/>\n<h2>If a Document Isn\u2019t Accessible<\/h2>\n<p>If you discover that a document isn\u2019t accessible and you\u2019re not the creator:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Contact the document\u2019s owner (the person or department that provided it) and let them know accessibility remediation is required before it can be posted.<\/li>\n<li>Provide resources such as a link to the DAO\u2019s training to help them make the file compliant.<\/li>\n<li>If an accessible version isn\u2019t available, <strong>do not upload the document<\/strong>. Instead, link to an accessible web page with equivalent information or request assistance from the SOM IT Web Team.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr  style=\"margin:\u201c30\u201dpx 0\"class=\" \u201crule-thin\u201d osc-rule\" \/>\n<h2>Continue to the Full How-To<\/h2>\n<p>For detailed steps on uploading, linking, and managing documents, see the documentation:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/userguide\/media\/documents\/\">Documents<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/userguide\/media\/how-to-add-media-files\/\">How to Add Media Files<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/userguide\/media\/documents\/journals\/\">Sharing Journals &amp; Copyright Concerns<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr  style=\"margin:\u201c30\u201dpx 0\"class=\" \u201crule-thin\u201d osc-rule\" \/>\n<h2>Related Resources<\/h2>\n<div class=\"row  oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-md-6 col-xs-12 col-sm-6 oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n<h3>Word Documents<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalaccessibility.unc.edu\/word-accessibility\/\">Word Accessibility Checklist<\/a> provided by UNC&#8217;s Digital Accessibility Office.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/webaim.org\/techniques\/word\/\">WebAim: Microsoft Word Accessibility<\/a> &#8211; step-by-step instructions for creating accessible Word documents.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.office.com\/en-us\/article\/Make-your-Word-documents-accessible-d9bf3683-87ac-47ea-b91a-78dcacb3c66d\">Make your Word documents accessible<\/a>\u00a0by Microsoft<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/accessibility.huit.harvard.edu\/microsoft-word\">Create Accessible Word Documents from Harvard<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Google Documents<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/accessibility.huit.harvard.edu\/google-docs\">Create Accessible Google Docs from Harvard<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>PowerPoint Documents<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/webaim.org\/techniques\/powerpoint\/\">WebAim, PowerPoint Accessibility<\/a> &#8211; this article outlines how to make PowerPoint files more accessible on the web.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/webaim.org\/resources\/evaloffice\/\">WebAim, Word and PowerPoint Accessibility Evaluation Checklist<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.office.com\/en-us\/article\/Make-your-PowerPoint-presentations-accessible-6f7772b2-2f33-4bd2-8ca7-dae3b2b3ef25?ui%3Den-US%26rs%3Den-US%26ad%3DUS\">Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible<\/a>\u00a0by Microsoft<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/accessibility.huit.harvard.edu\/microsoft-powerpoint\">Create Accessible PowerPoint Presentations from Harvard<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Google Slides<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/accessibility.huit.harvard.edu\/google-slides\">Create Accessible Google Slides from Harvard<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-md-6 col-xs-12 col-sm-6 oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n<h3>PDF Files<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalaccessibility.unc.edu\/pdf-accessibility\/\">PDF Accessibility Checklist<\/a> provided by UNC&#8217;s Digital Accessibility Office.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/webaim.org\/techniques\/acrobat\/\">WebAim: PDF Accessibility<\/a> &#8211; how to make PDFs accessible using Adobe Acrobat.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/webaim.org\/resources\/evaloffice\/\">WebAim, Word and PowerPoint Accessibility Evaluation Checklist<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/helpx.adobe.com\/acrobat\/using\/create-verify-pdf-accessibility.html\"><span class=\"s1\">Adobe: Make PDFs Accessible<\/span><\/a> \u2013\u00a0Official Adobe instructions on creating and verifying accessible PDFs.<\/li>\n<li><a role=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/support.office.com\/en-us\/article\/Create-accessible-PDFs-064625e0-56ea-4e16-ad71-3aa33bb4b7ed\" aria-label=\"Create accessible PDFs by Microsoft\">Create accessible PDFs<\/a>\u00a0by Microsoft<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/accessibility.huit.harvard.edu\/pdf\">Creating Accessible PDFs<\/a> from Harvard<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Excel<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.office.com\/en-us\/article\/Make-your-Excel-spreadsheets-accessible-6cc05fc5-1314-48b5-8eb3-683e49b3e593?ui%3Den-US%26rs%3Den-US%26ad%3DUS\">Make your Excel documents accessible<\/a>\u00a0by Microsoft<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Multiple Resources<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/ncdae.org\/resources\/cheatsheets\/\">Quick cheatsheets<\/a> by the National Center on Disability and Access to Education (NCDAE) on how to make documents accessible.<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><a style=\"color: #2a6496; text-decoration-line: underline; outline: 0px;\" href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/accessibility\"><span class=\"s1\">Microsoft Office Accessibility Help<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Tools and resources for making Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files accessible<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Documents (PDFs, Word files, and PowerPoints) are one of the most common accessibility issues across School of Medicine websites. Every document on your site\u00a0must meet accessibility standards before being uploaded. These documents must have specific structure, tags and labels to ensure they are readable by assistive technology. This page summarizes the key accessibility requirements. For &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/accessibility\/documents\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Documents\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3206,"featured_media":0,"parent":9092,"menu_order":10,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-11746","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","odd"],"acf":[],"_links_to":[],"_links_to_target":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11746"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14962,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11746\/revisions\/14962"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}