In health care, we frequently create text documents to communicate important information to our colleagues, patients and clients, and the public. But how well do our messages get across, given that our audience may include people with:
In part one of this two-part blog post, we focused on fonts, text alignment and plain language considerations that help make text documents both readable and accessible. In part two, we’ll tackle using bullets and ordered lists, tables and self-describing links.
Use bullet lists and ordered lists to break text up into smaller bits that are easier to absorb. Avoid listing several items in the form of a sentence, as this can make the sentence long and confusing.
INSTEAD OF: Your care team may include physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, dietitians, and social workers.
USE: Your care team may include:
physicians
nurses
occupational therapists
respiratory therapists
dietitians
social workers
Numbered lists work well for describing steps in a process.
INSTEAD OF: If you discover a fire, first remove any people who are in immediate danger, then activate the fire alarm, then contain the fire by closing doors in your area, and finally evacuate patients/residents if instructed to do so.
USE: If you discover a fire, follow these steps:
Remove any people who are in immediate danger.
Activate the fire alarm.
Contain the fire by closing doors in your area.
Evacuate patients/residents if instructed to do so.
Tip: Use the bullet or ordered-list tools in Word to create your bulleted, numbered, or lettered lists. This ensures screen-reader software will recognize it as a list and know how to read and relay the information (City of Peterborough, 2014, p. 21).
Avoid using tables, if possible. They can be challenging for people using assistive devices. Don’t use tables to display large amounts of text; instead, use paragraphs with headings.
If you must use tables, keep them simple:
(Microsoft, 2022; YUCSDTL, 2021)
Screen readers tell users when they encounter a hyperlink. Screen readers can relay more useful information about the hyperlink if the link is self-describing, that is, if it provides some context. The words that you use to create the hyperlink should convey where the user is being directed to, rather than consisting only of “click here” or “learn more” (Ryerson University, n.d.).
INSTEAD OF: Learn more about the Cancer Patient Family Network.
USE: Learn more about the Cancer Patient Family Network.
The additional resources listed below offer more suggestions for improving the readability and accessibility of your documents. If you have any questions or would like more resources to help you develop your skills around creating and sharing information that is accessible and easy to understand, please contact us at AskLibrary@nshealth.ca or book a consultation to speak one-on-one with a library team member.
Additional Resources
AbilityNet. (2022). Creating accessible documents. https://abilitynet.org.uk/factsheets/creating-accessible-documents-0
Microsoft. (2022). Make your Word documents accessible for people with disabilities. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-word-documents-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-d9bf3683-87ac-47ea-b91a-78dcacb3c66d?ui=en-us&rs=en-us&ad=us#bkmk_avoid_tables_win
Ryerson University. (n.d.). How to create accessible documents. https://www.ryerson.ca/accessibility/guides-resources/accessible-documents/
York University Centre for Staff Development & Technical Learning [YUCSDTL]. (2021). Designing accessible word documents. https://csdtl.info.yorku.ca/files/2021/04/Designing-Accessible-Documents-Course-Handout-Revised-April-2021.pdf?x31038
City of Peterborough. (2014). Guide to accessible documents.https://www.peterborough.ca/en/city-hall/resources/Documents/Guide-to-Accessible-Documents.pdf
Ryerson University. (n.d.). How to create accessible documents.https://www.ryerson.ca/accessibility/guides-resources/accessible-documents/
Library Technician
Aberdeen Hospital, Northern Zone
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