Content accessibility

We will create written content and documents that are accessible for everyone. This includes emails, Teams messages, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and website content. We provide alternative formats to anyone who asks as part of accessibility needs.

Scope creates accessible content for every audience we speak to. There are no exceptions.

To do this, all content will meet the criteria listed below:

Font size must be: 

• 12pt minimum for printed content (PDFs, letters, posters, leaflets) 
• 14pt minimum for digital content (emails, website) 
• 18pt for large print  

All internal use of fonts must be Arial 14pt for: 

• email signatures 
• out of office replies 

All Word documents and long emails will have a heading structure: 

• heading level 1 should be used only once for the main title  
• heading level 2 should be for subheadings  
• heading level 3 can only sit under heading level 2 

Do not use colour alone to show meaning or important information (including in emails). 

Colour contrast of text against the background must be at minimum 4.5:1.  

Use WebAIM colour contrast checker.

Use social model language. For example “disabled people” rather than “people with disabilities”.  

Only use medical model language if you are quoting external content. For example, using the legal definition of disability from the Equality Act 2010. Or if you are quoting someone. 

For more information please see the inclusive language in the workplace article. 

Read Scope's how we speak about disability guidance.

Plain English 

Always use plain English. This means using clear and direct language. Where there is a Latin word like pro bono use a plain English alternative.  

Avoid jargon, for example: 

• use “checks before a decision” instead of “due diligence” 
• use “print copy” instead of “hard copy” 
• use “end of day” instead of “close of play” 

Also avoid figurative language, for example: 

• use “to engage with more people” instead of “increasing our reach” 
• use “increase the number of customers” instead of “increasing our volume of customers” 
• use “technical skills” instead of “hard skills” 
• use “employability skills” instead of “soft skills”   

For information see: 

Swap the corporate jargon for these accessible alternatives  

Readability 

Content must be Hemingway grade 6 to 8 with no “very hard to read” sentences. 

For legal policies and contracts, if they are not Hemingway grade 8 or under, you will need to tell the accessibility team. 

Use active rather than passive voice, for example: 

“Scope created an accessible document”

Not:

“An accessible document was made by Scope”

We use active sentences to keep things short and easier to understand. 

Avoid using passive sentences where you can. 

You should write out abbreviations and acronyms in full when you first use them, for example:

‘Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).’ 

You can then use ‘DWP’. 

Do not shorten words, for example: 

• thx instead of thanks 
• cya instead of see you    

Avoid using negative contractions. For example, use: 

• “do not” instead of “don’t” 
• “cannot” instead of “can’t”   

Write word versions of e.g. and i.e. Use ‘for example’, ‘such as’, ‘like’.  

Bullet points should be left aligned. Avoid more than 2 lines for each bullet point.  

Only use bullet points as lists and not as headings.

Do not use capital letters for a whole word or sentence, for example: 

• MEETING
• WATCH THIS VIDEO 

Do not use a capital letter at the start of each word in a sentence, for example:

• This Is An Example
• We Want Equal Futures For Disabled People

This can make the text harder to read.

For brand purposes only, all caps can be used for: 

• Action lozenges: maximum 5 words 
• Flourishes: maximum 5 words, with no interactive elements 

Do not use italic text.  

Do not use underline except for link text. Link text should be underlined and in a different colour.

Do not use bold text except for: 

• bold in headings 
• bold for important instructions to help visual users process information 

For example: 

• use this document for the review
• do not share this presentation until Monday
• only use our brand colours
• avoid sending inaccessible emails

Spell out number one in full to avoid confusion with the letter “l”. From number 2, use numerals as they are easier to read. 

This does not apply to financial information or data. For example, “1 in 4 of us is disabled”.  

Use “%” for percentages.  

When using currency do not use decimals unless the value is more than .00. Use: 

• £3 instead of £3.00 
• £2,000, not £2k 
• £20 million 

Avoid using 0. Say ‘children under 5’ rather than ‘children aged 0 to 5’. 

Numbers from 1,000 should have a comma to separate the thousands. For example: 10,000 and 100,000.

Write all time and date ranges as: 

• “5 July” instead of “5^th July” 
• “Monday to Friday” instead of “Monday – Friday” 
• “10am to 11am” instead of “10:00am – 11:00am” 

Avoid using hyphens and dashes as they can cause accessibility issues. For example, write ‘email’ instead of ‘e-mail’. 

Use “and” instead of ampersands (&). 

Avoid using forward slashes, like “and/or” together.

Avoid using hyphens and dashes as they can cause accessibility issues. For example, write ‘email’ instead of ‘e-mail’.  

 All link text should be unique, informative and meaningful. Do not use “click here” or “read more”.  

Explain the destination as the link text. For example: 

Scope’s equality, diversity and inclusion strategy  

Camel case your hashtags. This means putting a capital for the first letter of every word: 

• #EasierToRead 
• #AnEqualFuture 
• #ScopeAwards2024 

Include alt text when images convey meaning. Mark images as decorative when they do not convey meaning. 

If the image is decorative in Outlook write “decorative” in the alt text box. 

How to write better alt text for accessibility  

When sending GIFs or images on Teams, add an image description under your image or GIF. 

All charts will have alternative text. Or the information presented will be available in text elsewhere on the page or on another document. 

You can use tables for data and financial information and not for plain text content: 

• tables will not have any split or merged cells 
• tables must have column headers 
• provide alt text where a text version is not available 
• all blank or empty cells must include “null”   

Label graphs so that colour is not used alone to present data.  

Each segment of colour will contrast against each other. Use our brand guidelines for what colours can be used. Red and green colours cannot be used together in a document. 

If using text on a graphic or image, you must provide alt text or a plain text version. 

All videos must have closed captions available. Check all captions for accuracy, when using automated ones. 

All videos with animations or text must have audio available. If the audio cannot include all on screen text, you must provide an audio description in writing. 

You should make sure that open captions are provided for all television (TV) content where possible. 

We will provide a transcript with every video posted on external facing platforms. They: 

• will be descriptive and text informative 
• must include visual descriptions of meaningful content   

Avoid flashing images. There should not be more than 3 flashes a second.  

All animations, GIFs and videos you use will have a function so people can: 

• stop 
• pause 
• hide

Contents page and page numbers 

All documents that are more than 6 pages will have: 

• a content page with page numbers 
• page numbers on the bottom right-hand corner of each page

Creating space

If you need more space between text, use the correct layout and spacing options in Word.

If you need your text to go on a new page, use a page break.

Do not press enter over and over to create white space. This creates empty lines and they cause problems for screen readers.

Presentations 

All PowerPoint presentation slides will have a clear and unique title. If using several slides with the same heading, use part one and part 2. 

All documents in Microsoft should be “good to go” for accessibility as a minimum. The accessibility checker helps you find common accessibility issues.

You will need to do manual checks for things like: 

• heading levels
• content reading order 
• colour contrast
• alt text descriptions 

Sometimes, the accessibility checker flags issues incorrectly. For example, in PowerPoint it might say that you are missing video subtitles even if your video has them. You can ignore these false errors.

Document formats 

Do not use a Word document to go with an inaccessible PDF. Word can be used alongside any other document format, for example Excel or PowerPoint.  

Print-only PDFs 

PDFs are print-only materials and not for any form of digital content. We will not upload PDFs to the website. 

Any other PDFs will be by exception only. You will need to agree this with the accessibility team. We will provide a disclaimer when sharing print-only PDFs (via email only): 

“This PDF is for print only. If you require a digital format, please use the Word or HTML version available.” 

All PDF documents more than 6 pages will have: 

• a content page with page number  
• page numbers on the bottom right hand corner of each page   

Font size must be 12pt minimum, or 18pt for large print. 

When signposting to other information, share the website link instead of sending the PDF.