Accessibility Information for Partners

This page is for vendors, consultants and community partners who provide digital content to Dakota County. We are committed to providing access to all individuals — with or without disabilities — who wish to use our websites and documents.

Accessibility standard

Digital content should meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, and all applicable accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Partners are responsible for making sure their deliverables meet the accessibility requirements included in their contract, agreement or project scope.

Links that may offer helpful guidance on digital accessibility standards include:

• Web Con​tent A​ccessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (w3.org)
• Accessibility Training (section508.gov)
  
• Accessibility Requirements Tool (section508.gov)
  
• Minnesota IT Services: Office of Accessibility page

The following are basic accessibility expectations, regardless of application.

• Ensure all content is real selectable text, not screenshots or scanned images of text
• Add meaningful alternative text descriptions to images that convey information
• Mark purely decorative images as decorative
• Use descriptive link text (e.g., "View the project timeline" rather than "Click here")
• Verify sufficient color contrast between text and backgrounds
• Avoid using color alone to convey meaning (pair with a text label)
• Aim for clear, jargon-free writing at an appropriate reading level
• Run the Accessibility Checker before sharing (Review tab -> Check Accessibility in Microsoft apps)

Passing an automated accessibility checker does not guarantee that a document is accessible. Documents must also be manually reviewed.

Word documents

• Structure content with heading styles (Heading 1 for title, Heading 2 for sections, Heading 3 for subsections). Do not skip levels.
  • Select text > press control+alt+(1-6), or 
  • Styles grouping dropdown under the Home Tab on the Ribbon toolbar > set text type
• Set document properties: Add a meaningful title and author (File > Info > Properties)
• Use tables only for data (not layout), with clearly defined header rows
• Insert Tab on the Ribbon toolbar > Select the Insert Table Feature > Select the number of rows and columns (or copy and paste from Excel)
• Keep core content in the document body, avoid text boxes

For more information, see Microsoft: Make your Word documents accessible.

PDF documents

• Use Create Acrobat PDF, Save As or Export to create PDFs — never Print to PDF, which strips tags and structure that assistive technologies rely on
• Complete document properties: title, author (department name and initials) and language
• Confirm the document contains real selectable text. If working from a scan, use OCR or recreate
• Tag the document title as Heading 1
• Check accessibility using Adobe Acrobat's built-in checker or PAC

A PDF that passes an automated check may still have accessibility problems. The document must also be reviewed for accurate tags, reading order and content structure.

For more information, see:
WebAIM: PDF Accessibility
Adobe: Create and verify PDF accessibility (Acrobat Pro)

PowerPoint files

• Use built-in slide layouts (Insert > New Slide > choose a layout)
• Give every slide a unique, descriptive title
• Check and correct the reading order (Home > Arrange > Selection Pane — items read bottom to top)
• Make content self-explanatory. Avoid referring to elements by position or appearance alone (e.g., "the chart on the right" or "the red section")
• Keep slides focused, avoid overcrowding with too much content

For more information, see Microsoft: Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible.

Multimedia

• Videos and audio recordings should include accurate synchronized captions for spoken content and meaningful sounds
• A transcript
• Audio description or another way to communicate important visual information when needed

Excel

• Place clear column headers in Row 1 and define them using Format as Table or table properties
• Give every sheet a meaningful name (e.g., "Q3 Budget Summary" rather than "Sheet1")
• Use one table per sheet when possible; if using multiple tables, label each one clearly
• Use cell formatting (padding, borders) for visual spacing, not blank rows or columns
• Label all totals and summary calculations explicitly
• Avoid splitting or merging cells
• Ensure Cell A1 contains meaningful text. This is where a screen reader starts, so use it for the table title or instructions for navigating the spreadsheet
• If exporting to PDF, verify that table structure and reading order are preserved