When striving to provide accessible Word documents, consider a few options first:

1. Ask your Publisher for accessible versions first! Publishers are also required to provide accessible content to their customers.
2. Use MS Word templates.
3. Create accessible headers throughout your document.
4. Run the Accessibility Checker in MS Word.

The Accessibility Checker verifies your file against a set of rules that identify possible issues for people who have disabilities. Depending on how severe the issue is, the Accessibility Checker classifies each issue as an error, warning, or tip. 

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Here’s how to use Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker for Word documents:

Want to learn more? Check out this self-paced (25 minutes) course on Creating Accessible Documents in Microsoft Office.

Here is a quick tutorial on making sure that hyperlinks in your documents are descriptive:

• UMass Dartmouth Syllabus Template (ADA compliant format)
• More information on making MS Word Documents Accessible
• Accessibility Checker for Windows Guide
• Accessibility Checker for Mac Guide