Ally Error Reporting by Type

Microsoft Word Document Errors & Fixes

Issue	Explanation	How to Fix
The document does not have any headers	This document doesn't contain any marked-up headings. Headings are important as they provide structure to a document, especially those that consist of many pages. When headers are properly and consistently used, the document becomes much easier to understand and navigate for all users. Sighted users rely on text size and bold to identify different sections, properly coding those as headings allows users of assistive technology to do the same.	In Word, select the text that should become a heading (document title, section titles). Under the Home tab in the Styles group, click the appropriate heading level. If you don't see the heading level you are looking for, click the arrows to browse the full list of preset styles. Always choose "Heading 1" for the title of your document, "Heading 2" for section headings, "Heading 3" for subsection headings, etc. "Normal" is used for paragraph text. Repeat these steps for all the text that should become headings.
The headings in this document do not begin at level 1	The headings in this document don't begin with heading 1 and therefore don't follow a logical order. Having the main heading at the beginning of the document will provide a more logical structure and will make the document much easier to understand and navigate for all users. For standard documents, the title of the document should be Heading 1.	Open the Word document and change the title of the document to heading level 1. Make sure section titles begin at heading level 2, with sub-sections at heading level 3. Video Demo: Fix Minor Heading Issues
The headings in this document do not follow a logical structure	Headings should be hierarchical, starting at heading level 1 for the title of the document, then heading level 2 for the sections of the document, then heading level 3 for subsections, and so on. Heading levels should not be skipped.	In Word, go to View and open the Navigation Pane. This will allow you to get a quick look at the heading structure. Check to see that the correct sections are nested under their parent section. Click through the headings of the document to uncover any skipped heading levels (e.g. going from heading level 2 to heading level 4) - the accessibility checker in Word will call out skipped headings. Ex: Heading 1 -Heading 2 --Heading 3 --Heading 3 -Heading 2 ---Heading 4 (should be H3) --Heading 3 Video Demo: Fix Minor Heading Issues
This document has contrast issues	This document contains text with low contrast between the text and its background. This can cause the text to be difficult to read, especially for those with low vision, poor eyesight or color blindness.	Change any light font colors to a darker shade (if using headings, modify the style to save time - open the Styles pane, right click on the heading level and select modify, adjust the color in the ). Check your tables - change the color palette used for tables to increase contrast in header rows. Video Demo: Improve Document Contrast Use a tool like the Document Accessibility Toolbar to scan for contrast issues (visionaustralia.org/dat) Or use the Paciello Group Color Contrast Analyser for Mac or PC (Note: You will need admin rights to install or request the installation from IT)
The document does not have a language set	The document does not specify the language in which it's been created. Certain technologies, such as screen readers, rely on the specified language to determine how to pronounce the document text.	Click Review > Language > Set Proofing Language. Video demo: Fix Document Language
The document's heading structure goes beyond six levels	The headings in this document goes beyond six levels. Most technologies, including screen readers and other assistive technology, are limited to six levels of headings. Going above this can cause these headings to not be represented or read appropriately.	In Word, review your heading structure by going to the View tab and opening the Navigation pane. See if you can reduce the number of sections by using bulleted, numbered, or outlined lists instead. Make sure your headings are labelled hierarchically (heading 3s are nested under heading 2s) and you're not assigning them chronologically (heading 1, then 2, then 3, then 4, 5, etc.).
The document has images without alternative descriptions	This document contains images that don't have a description or alternative text. People with screen readers or other assistive devices rely on these descriptions to understand the image content and purpose. Alt text will also display if an image doesn't load - benefitting everyone.	Right click on the image (Shft + F10), select Format Picture, under Properties and Layout open the Alt Text pane, enter text in the Description field (not the Title field)
The document has tables that don't have any headers	This document contains tables that don't have or properly specify a header structure. People with screen readers or other assistive devices rely on a correct heading structure to help them navigate the table and match the headings to the data cell.	Click on the table row that contains the headers. Right click (Shift + F10), open Table Properties. Under Row tab, select "Repeat as header row at the top of each page." Uncheck "Allow row to break across pages." Make sure you're not using tables for layout purposes. If your table doesn't need headings (the top row or first column doesn't serve as a label for the data/info underneath/beside) then do not use a table.
The document is malformed	These documents are malformed and therefore cannot be opened and viewed by many or even most people. While some technologies might be able to deal with some malformed documents, there's no guarantee that everyone will be able to view the document or that the formatting and content will be as intended.	If you do not have the original source document, you may not be able to fix this problem. If you can open the file on your computer, paste the content in a new document and try to save and re-upload the document.