Section508.gov has launched two new self-paced courses to help you create accessible Microsoft Word documents. The two-part series takes you from foundational accessibility practices to techniques for designing documents with more complex features.

Whether you create documents occasionally or regularly design and publish documents for your organization, these courses provide practical guidance for creating Word documents that can be accessed and understood by all users.

Start with the fundamentals

Microsoft Word Accessibility Overview is the first course in the series. This beginner-level course introduces essential practices for creating accessible text documents.

In about 85 minutes, you will learn how to:

• Organize document content using headings and lists.
• Use color appropriately.
• Add accessibility information, including document language and descriptive file names.
• Test a document for accessibility.
• Share a document as a Word document or PDF.

The course is designed for document authors, Section 508 Program Managers, and Section 508 subject matter experts.

Build on your skills with document design

Microsoft Word Accessibility for Document Designers is the second course in the series. This moderate-to-advanced course builds on the foundational practices introduced in the first course and focuses on applying accessibility techniques to specific Word features.

In about 80 minutes, you will learn how to:

• Add accessible links, data tables, images, and other document features.
• Create accessible layouts using columns, headers and footers, and text boxes.
• Create an accessible table of contents.

The course is intended for document designers and content creators, as well as Section 508 Program Managers and subject matter experts.

Take the two-course series

The courses are designed to be taken in sequence. Microsoft Word Accessibility Overview provides the foundation for creating accessible documents, while Microsoft Word Accessibility for Document Designers builds on those practices and addresses more complex document features.

Each course includes a five-question quiz. Learners who score at least 80 percent can earn a downloadable PDF certificate of completion. 

Visit Section508.gov training courses to find these and other self-paced accessibility training resources.

Reviewed/Updated: September 2026