Accessibility means a document can be read and used by as many people as possible, including those with low vision, colour blindness, reading difficulties or screen readers. Questions ask you to spot what is wrong in a document or to choose settings for a stated audience.
This lesson belongs to safety, security and effects and connects to the practical formatting you do when producing leaflets, letters and reports.
What should you check?
- Contrast: dark text on a light background, or the reverse. Pale grey on white is hard to read.
- Text size and font: a plain, clear font at a size suited to the audience, such as larger text for older readers.
- Colour alone: never rely on colour to carry meaning. Add a label or a symbol as well.
- Headings and structure: real heading styles let a screen reader jump between sections.
- Alternative text: a short description for each meaningful image.
- Plain language: short sentences and familiar words.
Worked example
Invented brief: Taman Seri Community Hall (fictional) wants a notice for residents, many of them elderly. A draft uses 9 pt light-grey text on a white page, red and green dots to show “open” and “closed”, and a photo of the hall with no description.
Step 1, contrast: light grey on white is too faint. Change to near-black text on white.
Step 2, size: 9 pt is too small for this audience. Use a larger size, for example 14 pt, and check it prints clearly.
Step 3, colour alone: red and green dots cannot be told apart by someone with red-green colour blindness. Write the words “Open” and “Closed” beside each dot.
Step 4, image: add alternative text such as “Front of the community hall with a ramp at the entrance”.
Step 5, structure: make the page title and section names heading styles, not just bold text.
Each change links to a reader’s need, which is what a good answer shows.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is making a document look attractive and calling that accessible.
Mistaken answer: “I made the notice accessible by using a decorative script font and a bright background.”
A decorative font and a busy background reduce readability for many readers.
The correction is to start from the reader: choose clear fonts, strong contrast and structure first, then add decoration only where it does not harm reading.
Check yourself
1. Why should a chart not use only colour to separate two lines?
Show answer
A reader with colour blindness may not tell the colours apart. Add labels, different line styles or markers as well.
2. Write alternative text for a photo of a school library with students at tables.
Show answer
Example: “Students studying at tables in the school library.” It states what the image shows in one short sentence.
3. Why use heading styles rather than just making a title bold and large?
Show answer
Heading styles give the document a structure that a screen reader and navigation tools can use, while bold text is only appearance.
Where this leads next
Continue with describing societal effects, then try the practice set. The practical task and evidence checker lists acceptance criteria you can test your own document against.
When formatting choices are right but the explanation is thin, online one-to-one ICT tuition lets a teacher review your own document and wording together.