Best Practices for Word: Images
Image Placement:
Images are used in documents for reference, emphasis, explanation, or aesthetics. Best practice is to use images that are representative of the content of the document. You will need to consider image placement as well.
The Accessibility Wizard currently places images in a left aligned placement when converting. When creating a document, place images so they will still make sense when placed to left alignment. Avoid placing images in tables since the Wizard will render the images outside of the table and therefore the image may appear out of context in the document. The images below show a Word document with an image placed on the page with right justification and the same material placed in a table with the image in the right cell.
The following image shows the same document after the Wizard has converted it. Notice how the images are left aligned in the converted document.
Multiple Images and Grouping:
If you have several images that are used to create one larger unit, such as a math equation or directional images, you can group the images into one item. This will keep the images together during the Accessibility Wizard Conversion. See Grouping Images in the PowerPoint Best Practices for more information about Grouping Images.
Labeling Images:
Best Practices with images includes giving the image a description. This allows individuals who have graphics disabled to know what the image is representing. The Wizard will show the image from your document and then prompt for an image description during conversion. There are three choices for images: Decorative Image, Informative Image, and Chart. For images that are not a chart or a data table, the Decorative Image or Informative Image will be the selection.
Decorative Image
A Decorative Image would be one that is placed in a document such as a logo. The Wizard will prompt for a SHORT DESCRIPTION for these types of images. A brief description of the graphic is one that would allow an "equivalent alternative" to the actual image. This image is used in the document as a logo to represent the Accessibility Wizard. A short description for this might be "Microsoft Accessibility Wizard Logo."
Informative Image
An Informative Image is one that supports the context of the document and/or conveys information to the user. For an Informative Image, the Wizard prompts for not only a Short Description of the image, but a Long Description as well. The Short Description would be a brief description of what the image is representing. If the example image was part of a technique for typing with one finger, the SHORT DESCRIPTION might read "One-finger typing technique with index finger" while the LONG DESCRIPTION would include more details such as "The one-finger typing technique uses the index finger to strike keys while the remaining fingers and thumb are extended away from the keyboard."
Charts
Images that included in a document that represent data such as charts and data tables also require additional description information. These are covered in the Best Practices Charts and Data Tables section.