Hey everyone! Long time no see! This semester has been so busy so far, and I’ve hardly been able to make time for my one true passion:
Writing blog posts about accessibility requirements.
So since I’m out of practice and a little overcaffeinated, we’re going to ease our way back into this series.
What’s a Header?
^That.
I’m sure you’ve already noticed headings as an option on Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and just about any text-editing platform you may use.
For reference, here’s how they show up on Microsoft Word:
Now, if you’re anything like me, you probably went “hey that’s neat, but I don’t love the formatting and I’m already used to just editing font for headings myself.
Well, then if you’re like me, you’re WRONG.
Why Headings are Awesome
First off: You’re completely able to change the formatting of any of your headings and save your preferences to Word so that they stick. Simply select whatever heading you intend to use, mess with it to your heart’s content, and then right click again on the heading option in the ‘Styles’ group (pictured above), and in the popup menu select “Update to Match Selection”. And just like that, your preferences are saved and easily accessible!
On top of that, Headings also make useful anchors to navigate larger documents. Word Documents will have an outline that you can navigate using Headings, making them fulfill a more practical role than just formatting your paragraph-style text.
Why are Headings Important to Accessibility?
Well, first off: the outline function that Headings support just makes them easier for everyone to navigate, which improves accessibility generally.
But more importantly: Headings are used by screen-readers to navigate, which can be invaluable for someone only trying to read a portion of a larger text. Remember: screen readers can’t just hop around a screen like our eyes can.
One of the most common Accessibility missteps that we run into at the Help Desk is Heading misuse or lack of use. It’s important to get the fullest use of the tools that Word provides you, and Headings are an excellent and overlooked example of that.
What’s Heading Misuse?
Simply put: Headings should be used in the order they’re provided in. No using Heading 4 under Heading 2 without a Heading 3 between them. This is because the number of the Heading affects how an outline and a screen reader interacts with them. If you’re like me, and maybe just prefer the style of 4 over 3, then just tweak the format as shown above! What matters is maintaining how the heading is coded.
That’s about it for this month, I hope you all are doing well!