Accessibility basics in practice: correcting everyday documents and emails
For staff who write emails, notices, rotas and reports for colleagues or customers and need to fix them so screen reader users and people with low vision can use them. Builds on the course 'Accessible documents, emails and meetings', which explains why headings, alt text and link text matter; this one is the hands-on correction workflow. You run Microsoft's Accessibility Checker and act on its errors, warnings and tips; correct headings, lists, tables and sheet names in Word and Excel; correct email subjects, image-only content, signatures and attachments; check text contrast against the WCAG minimum ratios; and carry out the manual checks a checker can't make. Examples use Microsoft 365. Your company's accessibility policy sets the standard you must meet.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- About 76 minutes
- Contents
- 5 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Run the Accessibility Checker in Word, Excel or Outlook and prioritise its errors, warnings and tips
- Correct structure in Word documents and Excel workbooks: headings, lists, table header rows, merged cells and sheet names
- Correct everyday emails before sending: subject, text instead of images, link text, signature and attachments
- Check text contrast against the WCAG 2.2 minimum ratios and fix information shown by colour alone
- Identify the problems an automated checker can't judge and check them by hand
Course outline
- 1.Run the Accessibility Checker and prioritise what it findsLesson · 10 min
- 2.Correct structure in Word documents and Excel workbooksLesson · 16 min
- 3.Correct everyday emails before sendingLesson · 14 min
- 4.Check contrast and colour-only meaningLesson · 10 min
- 5.Identify what an automated checker can't judge and check it by handLesson · 10 min
- 6.Accessibility basics in practice: correcting everyday documents and emails: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 14 questions
- 7.Accessibility basics in practice: correcting everyday documents and emails: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 8.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Microsoft Support: Improve accessibility with the Accessibility Checker
- Microsoft Support: Rules for the Accessibility Checker
- Microsoft Support: Make your Word documents accessible to people with disabilities
- Microsoft Support: Make your Excel documents accessible to people with disabilities
- Section508.gov: Accessible Email Messages
- Section508.gov: Authoring Meaningful Alternative Text
- W3C WAI: Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum), WCAG 2.2
- W3C WAI: Accessibility Principles
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.