

In Office 2011, you can create an accessible Word document, but in order to export to tagged PDF you must take that final step in Word for Windows or LibreOffice for Mac.The most upsetting thing about Word is that it's been hidden behind a paywall for most of the past 30 years.

In the Save As dialog box, select PDF from the Save as type list. Word for Windowsįrom the File menu, select “Save As…” and choose where you want the file to be saved. This method will not preserve the document structure and will result in a PDF document with no tag structure. This software can be downloaded with a valid NetID from the IT Connect UWare site. UW students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to use the most current version of Microsoft Office on computers owned by the UW. Starting with an accessible Word document, a goal when exporting to PDF is to do so in a way that preserves the document structure of the Word document, including heading levels, alternate text for images, and markup that explicitly identifies lists, tables, document language, and other content that is important for accessibility.

Make sure to follow the core steps for accessibility as outlined on the Documents page. The first step in creating an accessible PDF from Microsoft Word is to ensure that the original Word document is accessible.
