As legal professionals increasingly rely on digital platforms for communication, documentation and service delivery, ensuring these materials are accessible to all individuals has become not just a compliance requirement, but a cornerstone of inclusive legal practice.
Digital accessibility in the legal sector extends far beyond basic compliance with regulatory standards. It represents a commitment to ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their abilities, can effectively engage with legal information and services. This approach to accessibility benefits not only clients and colleagues with disabilities but also enhances the overall usability and professionalism of legal communications. Microsoft Office applications, which remain the primary tools for document creation in legal environments, offer robust accessibility features that many practitioners overlook.
Across the Microsoft office application suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, in multiple versions including the Microsoft 365 suite as well as versions back to 2016, look under the Review tab to find the Accessibility Checker. In older versions of the Microsoft Office suite, you may need to select File then choose Info and then choose Check Accessibility in the Check for Issues dropdown menu.
Depending on the application, the Accessibility Checker will review an email, document slide deck or spreadsheet for issues that may make it difficult for someone with assistive technology to read and interact with the content. Additionally, the checker identifies issues that may make it difficult for those with low vision, color blindness and other disabilities. Issues like missing alternative text, structure problems, reading order issues and color contrast concerns will be identified. Run the Accessibility Checker to see suggested improvements and make those improvements inline on the Accessibility Assistant navigation panel. For instance, if you are missing alternative text, you can enter it directly into the Accessibility Assistant. If it is an image of no importance, you can mark it as “purely decorative.”
In addition to the Accessibility Checker, several applications in the Microsoft productivity suite have additional tools that make output.
Word's document structure capabilities go well beyond simple formatting. When legal professionals properly implement heading hierarchies, screen reader users can navigate complex legal documents with the same efficiency as their sighted colleagues. The platform's built-in accessibility checker serves as a valuable tool for identifying potential barriers, offering real-time suggestions for improvements that align with best practices in document accessibility.
Styles in Word play a crucial role in accessibility. Rather than merely changing font sizes or applying bold formatting, using built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) creates a structural hierarchy that assistive technologies can interpret. This structure becomes particularly valuable in lengthy legal documents, enabling efficient navigation and comprehension. The Navigation Pane, activated through the View tab, serves as both a document organization tool and an accessibility enhancement. When documents use proper heading structures, users with screen readers can navigate complex legal documents efficiently, jumping directly to relevant sections.
The Alternative Text feature deserves special attention. When inserting images, charts or diagrams, Word prompts users to add alternative text descriptions. For legal documents containing exhibits or evidence photos, proper alternative text ensures that screen reader users receive complete information about visual elements. Best practice suggests including both a brief title and a detailed description that captures the image's legal significance.
In addition to making documents more accessible, there are several features in Word that are useful for those who have different abilities to use the tool. For those people with mobility or vision disabilities there are a lot of ways to leverage features to make it easier to interact with the applications.
Did you know that Microsoft Word in Microsoft 365 subscriptions has a speech-to-text dictation tool built in? Open a new or existing document and go to Home – Dictate. You will need a microphone, either built into your device or one available in a headset or other peripheral. Dictate is available for Microsoft 365 subscribers on Windows, Mac, Word for the Web and in Word mobile. You can dictate content and speak commands to add punctuation, navigate around pages and enter special characters. To learn the commands for punctuation, editing, navigation, formatting and more head over to Microsoft and search for dictation commands.
The Immersive Reader is in the View tab of the ribbon in Microsoft Word. In the Immersive group there are two tools. The Focus tool places the page in full-screen mode. You can still edit the text; the view simply makes it easier to read the document and removes distractions. The Immersive Reader gives you more options. You can change column width and page color for viewing. Line Focus has options for viewing between one and five lines of highlighted text at a time while the rest of the page is grayed out. There is also a Read Aloud feature so you can have your document read to you with Line Focus on or off, for editing.
The Editor tool in the Review tab opens the Editor pane. You can choose your writing style (formal, professional or casual) and the panel shows corrections for spelling and grammar, as well as suggested refinements for clarity, inclusiveness and vocabulary. It also shows you document stats, which include scores for Flesch Reading ease and Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level. The Reading Ease score provides a numeric score between 1 and 100, with 100 being the highest readability score. The scores are created by analyzing sentences and word complexity and applying mathematical calculation. The Reading Level scores indicate readability for different U.S. grade levels. A score of 12–15 is advanced (College), while a score of 6–9 is average (Middle School).
Before generating a PDF from a Word document run the Accessibility Checker over your document to make sure all best practices have been applied. Then save the document using File – Save As or File – Save a Copy. When you choose PDF under Options select “Document structure tags for accessibility” checkbox and click OK.
PowerPoint, often used for client presentations and legal education, includes features specifically designed to enhance comprehension for diverse audiences. Legal professionals can leverage reading order controls to ensure logical content flow, while high-contrast themes maintain readability for individuals with visual impairments. The addition of closed captions and detailed slide notes provides multiple channels for information access, essential for comprehensive understanding of legal concepts.
In addition to the Accessibility Checker (Review – Check Accessibility), PowerPoint includes specific features for creating inclusive presentations.
Slide notes, often used for presenters to add speaking notes, can also provide additional context and descriptions for complex visual elements. Slide notes can include detailed descriptions of visual elements, full text of abbreviated slide content, added context for complex legal concepts and explanations of charts or graphs. Slide notes can be printed to PDF or printed by changing the settings in the Print menu to Notes pages or saved as comments in a PDF when a slide deck is converted to PDF.
PowerPoint in Microsoft 365 can transcribe your words as you present and display them on-screen as captions in the same language you are speaking or translated to another language. There are position, size, color and other appearance options for the captions and subtitles to accommodate different environments and audience needs.
To set up Subtitles on the Slide Show tab select Subtitle settings in advance of a presentation, or during a presentation by clicking the Toggle Subtitles from the Slide Show View or Presenter View or by using the shortcut key J.
For the subtitles to work you will need to have a way for your computer to “hear” you, whether through a headset, an onboard microphone or through a line in from an audio system.
If you save a slide presentation as a video, you can insert captions by uploading a written script saves as a .VTT file.
In the Slide Show tab of the ribbon in PowerPoint in Microsoft 365 subscriptions there is a button called Rehearse with Coach. Make sure to have a microphone available and you can rehearse your presentation with real-time feedback, reminding you not to use filler words or to slow down. After your rehearsal you will get a report, showing the total time spent, what filler words and repetitive language you used, your pace over time, your tone and pitch and whether you read the slide text aloud. This type of practice is useful to make sure that your live presentation is as polished and interesting as possible, but it is also great practice when preparing to show live captions during a presentation.
Looking ahead, the importance of digital accessibility in legal practice will only grow. As technology continues to evolve, new challenges and opportunities will emerge. Legal professionals who embrace comprehensive accessibility practices position themselves to serve a broader client base while maintaining high standards of professional communication.
Success in implementing accessible technology solutions requires ongoing commitment and regular evaluation. Legal organizations must regularly assess their digital content, gather feedback from users with diverse needs and adjust their practices accordingly. This iterative process ensures that accessibility remains a dynamic, responsive aspect of legal practice rather than a static set of requirements to be met.
