{"id":7522,"date":"2015-08-06T13:43:46","date_gmt":"2015-08-06T18:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/?p=7522"},"modified":"2022-06-14T02:01:43","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T07:01:43","slug":"bb-accessibility-tip-headings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/bb-accessibility-tip-headings\/","title":{"rendered":"Bb Accessibility Tip: Headings"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Janice Florent<\/p>\n

This is the first in a series of blog posts that is a follow-up to my recent Accessibility in Education<\/a> post where I wrote,<\/p>\n

Even though you may not have a student with a disability currently enrolled in your course, there are a few things you can do when creating content that will save you time later when you do have a student with a disability. This is not wasted time as you will find some students without disabilities will take advantage of accessible content as well.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This post will focus on \"Headings.\" A good heading structure is an important accessibility consideration. Headings should be used to indicate main points and sub-points on a page. Like an outline, heading levels should appear in logical and consistent order. <\/p>\n

Headings allow screen reader users to easily navigate through the page and can make the page more usable for everyone. <\/p>\n

When creating documents, many people do not use true \"heading styles.\" For example, when creating a heading, they simply change the font type, enlarge the font size, change the color, make it bold, etc. When this is done, the document has no real structure that can be detected by a screen reader program. While visual learners can scan the page for text that stands out from the rest, users who rely on a screen reader are not able to \"see\" these elements. <\/p>\n

The correct way to provide structure for accessibility purposes is to use heading styles. Listed below are instructions on applying heading styles in MS Word, PowerPoint, and the Content Editor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Add heading styles in MS Word document:<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Click on the Home tab.<\/li>\n
  2. Highlight the text.<\/li>\n
  3. Click on the appropriate heading selector in the styles panel (e.g. Heading 1 for top-level heading).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"image<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

    Add heading styles in PowerPoint:<\/h3>\n
    \n
    <\/dt>\n
    Using slide layouts will ensure that files have correctly structured headings and lists, and proper reading order.<\/p>\n

    To assign a Slide Layout:<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

      \n
    1. Click on the Home tab.<\/li>\n
    2. Click on New Slide.<\/li>\n
    3. Choose the desired layout from the slide options menu.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \"image<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

      Add heading styles in the Content Editor<\/a>:<\/h3>\n
        \n
      1. Highlight the text.<\/li>\n
      2. Select the proper heading level from the style selector (e.g. Heading for top-level heading; Sub Heading 1 for a subheading of the top-level heading, etc.).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \"image<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

        Note:<\/strong> When creating heading styles always use the proper heading level. Create uniform headings so that a screen reader can navigate the content and can understand how it is structured.<\/p>\n

        Additionally, you can customize styles.
        \nLearn how to         change styles in MS Word 2013<\/a>
        \nLearn how to         change a style set in MS Word 2010<\/a>
        \nLearn more about         PowerPoint 2013 slide layouts<\/a>
        \nLearn more about         PowerPoint 2010 slide layouts<\/a><\/p>\n

        The National Center on Disability and Access to Education<\/a> developed Accessibility Cheatsheets<\/a> to assist anyone who is creating accessible content. These free resources are catered to less-technical individuals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        by Janice Florent This is the first in a series of blog posts that is a follow-up to my recent Accessibility in Education post where I wrote, Even though you may not have a student with a disability currently enrolled in your course, there are a few things you can do when creating content that ...continue reading \"Bb Accessibility Tip: Headings\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2,3,14],"tags":[16],"class_list":{"0":"post-7522","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-accessibility-kneads","7":"category-blackboard","8":"category-tech-tips-a-la-carte","9":"tag-accessibility","10":"h-entry","11":"hentry","12":"h-as-article"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p82MQk-1Xk","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13948,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/brightspace-accessibility-tip-headings\/","url_meta":{"origin":7522,"position":0},"title":"Brightspace Accessibility Tip: Headings","author":"Janice Florent","date":"July 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the first in a series of blog posts that is a follow-up to my recent The Importance of Accessibility in Education post where I wrote, Even though you may not have a student with a disability currently enrolled in your course, there are a few things you can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessibility Kneads"","block_context":{"text":"Accessibility Kneads","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/topic\/accessibility-kneads\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"two visually impaired persons using computers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/50435594277_b382352bc3_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22139,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/brightspace-accessibility-tip-headings-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":7522,"position":1},"title":"Brightspace Accessibility Tip: Headings","author":"Janice Florent","date":"February 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the first in a series of blog posts that is a follow-up to my recent Why Accessibility is Important post where I wrote, Making accessible content doesn\u2019t have to be complicated... Even small efforts make a big difference. 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Content that is accessible is better organized and therefore more usable by all.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Accessibility Kneads"","block_context":{"text":"Accessibility Kneads","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/topic\/accessibility-kneads\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"mobile phone with the caption accessibility is not only for the impaired","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/frostsimula.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/accessibility-1024x535.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14899,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/icymi-accessibility-is-for-everyone\/","url_meta":{"origin":7522,"position":3},"title":"ICYMI: Accessibility is for Everyone","author":"Janice Florent","date":"December 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Although there are legal mandates requiring institutions of higher education to make educational materials accessible (e.g., the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act), accessibility is fundamentally just good design. 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