HHS Home > Digital Communications > Section 508 > Making Files Accessible

Making Files Accessible

Making content accessible to people with disabilities online begins with making files compliant from the start. Use the videos and step-by-step resources below to learn how to make your files.

Adobe PDF

Step by Step: Create accessible PDFs in Microsoft Word
Video: Eight Essentials for Creating Accessible PDF Documents
Video: Ensuring your PDF is Accessible
Checklist: PDF File 508 Checklist

Advanced

More: PDF Resources from Adobe

Microsoft Word 2010

Step by Step: Creating accessible Word 2010 documents
Step by Step: Creating Accessible PDF Files from Word [PDF – 941K]
Video: Overview of Requirements for Accessible Word Documents
Video: Templates and Style Basics
Video: Lists, Columns, & Table of Contents
Video: Tables
Video: Figures

Microsoft Word 2007

Step by Step: Creating accessible Word 2007 documents [PDF - 116KB]
Checklist: Word Document 508 Checklist

Microsoft Excel 2010

Standard: Accessible (508) Excel Presentations
Step by Step: Creating accessible Excel 2010 workbooks
Video: Accessible Spreadsheets, Part 1
Video: Accessible Spreadsheets, Part 2
Video: Forms, Part 1
Video: Forms, Part 2
Checklist: Excel Document 508 Checklist

Microsoft PowerPoint 2010

Step by Step: Creating accessible PowerPoint presentations
Video: Make a Presentation Accessible
Video: Tables, Charts, and Images
Checklist: PowerPoint Document 508 Checklist

Microsoft Office 2010

Step by Step: Check for accessibility issues
Video: Using the Microsoft Accessibility Checker for Office 2010
Video: Creating an Accessible E-mail in Outlook 2010

Additional File Types

HTML Files

Standard: HTML Table Standard (Section 508)
Standard: Accessible (508) HTML Forms
Checklist: HTML File

Multimedia Files

Standard: Accessibility (Section 508) and Video/Multimedia Content
Standard: Synchronize Multimedia Elements
Checklist: Multimedia File
Video Captioning Guidance

If you need assistance with a program that is not on this page, contact us for more information.

508 Myths

Myth:
"X" file format (Word, PDF, PowerPoint, Audio, Video, you-name-it) doesn't have to be 508 compliant.

FACT:
Since June 2001 the law has required all content created using federal money to be 508 compliant.

This includes government hosted or contractor hosted websites and intranet sites. This also includes content hosted by third-party services like YouTube.

Myth:
I can avoid 508 compliance because tagging PDFs creates an undue burden.

FACT:
The Office of Disability states that the cost of correcting content to meet section 508 standards must exceed 5% of the total HHS discretionary budget in order to qualify as an undue burden.