How charities can create accessible documents

8 April 2026

by Media Trust and Passion4Social

Webinar

Explore Passion4Social's free webinar to make sure your charity is creating documents that are accessible to all.

What do we mean by accessible documents?

If you create documents as part of your work, like reports, funding applications, guides, rotas, policies or templates, you’re already creating documents that need to be accessible.

An accessible document is simply one that:

Is easy to read and understand
Works with assistive technology (like screen readers)
Doesn’t exclude people because of how it’s designed or structured

That includes people with visual impairments, dyslexia, autism, ADHD, motor impairments. It also includes anyone accessing content differently, like on a phone, with limited bandwidth, or using accessibility settings like a screen magnifier.

But accessible design doesn’t just benefit disabled people. Clear structure, simple language and thoughtful formatting make content easier for everyone to read, navigate and understand.

Accessibility isn’t about making things perfect, but it is about removing avoidable barriers and considering how users can best access your documents and charity’s information.

Why this matters for charities

For charities, inaccessible documents can stop people engaging with your vital work. In some cases, they may also fail to meet accessibility requirements under equality legislation, such as the Equality Act 2010.

This might show up as:

Supporters struggling to read reports or newsletters
Volunteers unable to access rotas or training materials
Staff needing extra help to understand internal documents
Funders or partners finding information hard to navigate

Accessible documents help you:

Communicate more clearly with more people
Reduce follow-up questions and confusion
Make better use of limited time and capacity
Show your commitment to inclusion in a practical way

What can improve document accessibility?

A common concern is that accessible documents require specialist knowledge, expensive tools or lots of extra time. But in reality, many of the most impactful changes are small and specific.

Improving accessible documents often looks like:

Using built-in heading styles

Instead of making headings bold or larger manually, use the ‘Styles’ or ‘Headings’ options in tools like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. This helps screen readers understand the structure of your document and makes it easier for everyone to scan. This goes for online newsletters and website pages too!

Choosing clearer fonts and spacing

Simple, sans-serif fonts (such as Arial, Calibri or Open Sans), good line spacing and left-aligned text are easier to read, especially for people with dyslexia or visual impairments. Remember that text should be at least 12-14 pt in size.

Keeping paragraphs short and focused

Large blocks of text can be overwhelming. Shorter paragraphs and bullet points reduce cognitive load and make documents easier to navigate.

Adding descriptions to images (alt text)

Alt text is a short description of an image that screen readers read aloud. It explains what the image is showing and why it matters. If the image is purely decorative, it can be marked so screen readers skip it.

Ettie Bailey King’s guide on writing alt text is a great starting point.

Checking colour contrast before sharing

Colour contrast refers to how clearly text stands out from its background. Low contrast (for example, light text on a light background) can be difficult to read. Simple contrast-checking tools can help you check this in documents, slides and graphics before publishing.

All these actions can be done using tools many charities already rely on, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Canva.

Remember: You don’t need to fix everything at once. Starting with the documents you use most often, or those shared with the widest audience, is a great practical first step.

Watch the free webinar in full

Want to find out more tips and info? Passion4Social’s free webinar focuses on every day, realistic improvements that charity teams can make to improve document accessibility.

It covers:

A full guide to accessible documents
What accessible documents look like in practice
Common issues that unintentionally create barriers
Simple ways to create, test and improve documents
How to make accessibility part of your day-to-day work

Watch the full webinar below to see practical examples and step-by-step guidance. For webinar materials, downloads and transcript, see the Passion4Social webinar webpage.