In Module 0 of the Make an Accessible Document in Microsoft Word video series, learn about the Accessible Electronic Document Community of Practice (AED CoP) and the topics covered in this video series.
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Voice Over (VO): Accessible Electronic Document Community of Practice, AED-COP.
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VO: You are watching how to make an accessible document in Microsoft Word.
VO: This is Module 0, Introduction and Background. Introduction, federal agencies create millions of documents each year.
VO: While making those documents accessible is required by federal law, it is also important to ensure individuals with disabilities have access to the same information as individuals without disabilities.
VO: Due to the importance of accessible electronic documents, subject matter experts from several federal agencies developed an accessible electronic document, Community of Practice, or AED-COP, with the goals of improving accessible content posted on federal agency websites, advancing the field of accessibility, and creating reusable accessibility information and artifacts.
VO: This group worked collaboratively to create the Section 508 Basic Authoring and Testing Guide, Microsoft Word, which identifies the minimum steps required to make an electronic document, Section 508 accessible and acceptable for posting to a federal website.
VO: This series of video tutorials is based upon the requirements contained in that guide. When you adhere to those requirements, you are creating a document that allows individuals with disabilities comparable access to the important information you publish.
VO: For each requirement listed in the Basic Authoring and Testing Guide, there is a related module that demonstrates, one, how to author accessibly, two, how to check your work, three, how to identify inaccessible content, and four, how to identify accessible content.
VO: It is recommended that you download the guide and use it to follow along with this tutorial series.
VO: The guide can be downloaded from http://www.section508.gov.
VO: It is important to note that documents with macros and documents with form fields are not covered by either the Section 508 Authoring and Testing Guide for Microsoft Word or these tutorial modules.
VO: You can determine if a file contains macros if it has a file extension of .docm or .dotm.
VO: A document with macros contains programmed formatting and is better tested with a software application test process.
VO: The AED-ZOP recommends the Department of Homeland Security's Trusted Tester Process. Information about the Trusted Tester Process can be found at http://www.dhs.gov.
VO: You cannot create an accessible form suitable for publishing on a federal website using Microsoft Word. If you need to create a form, then another application must be used to add the actual form fields into the document.
VO: See the AED-ZOP guidance for creating accessible forms at http://www.section508.gov.
VO: Thank you for watching Module Zero. You are encouraged to watch the other modules in this video series and can find additional information at section 508.gov.
VO: This video is a product of the accessible electronic document community of practice and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Related Documents Video Series Modules
- Module 0: Introduction & Background
- Module 1: Save as a Word Document (.docx) with a Descriptive Filename
- Module 2: Use Styles to Create Headings
- Module 3: Use Built-in Features to Create Lists
- Module 4: Use Built-in Features to Organize Content
- Module 5: Use Built-in Features to Create Layout and Data Tables
- Module 6: Identify Distinct Languages
- Module 7: Create Unambiguous Names for Links
- Module 8: Duplicate Vital Information in Headers, Footers and Watermarks
- Module 9: Create Accessible Images and Other Objects
- Module 10: Create Accessible Textboxes
- Module 11: Use Color and Other Sensory Characteristics Plus Text to Convey Meaning
- Module 12: Create the Required Color Contrast
- Module 13: Create Accessible Embedded Files
