How to Create Accessible MS Word Documents using Virtual 508 Add-on
**Note: This tutorial utilizes the Virtual 508 Add-on for MS Office. For more information about Virtual 508 you can visit their website at http://www.virtual508.com or see our Virtual 508 Overview tutorial.
To save your MS Word Documents as accessible HTML files using Virtual 508:
- Open your Word document
- From the Home tab, click the Check Accessibility button at the top right of the screen
- If you have not yet entered a product code, you will see a window after clicking the Check Accessibility button
- If you have a product code to enter, enter it at this window OR
- Click Continue Trial Period
- On the right side of the screen, a panel will appear
- At the top of this panel there will be a bar indicating how many problems there are in the document that need to be resolved
- Towards the bottom of the panel, there will be a "fix it" area that will guide you through fixing your errors
- Once you have resolved all the problems in the document, the bar at the top of the panel should say "No Problems Left"
- After resolving your problems, click "Publish As XHTML" from the top next to the Check Accessibility button you clicked earlier
- If you have not entered a product code, the window mentioned in step 3 will appear again
- Click Continue Trial Period again or enter a product code if you have one
- Choose whether you want your file outputted as an HTML file or as a .zip archive
- Click Browse...
- Navigate to where you want your file saved
- Enter a name for your file
- Click Save
- Your file is now accessible and saved as an HTML file to be viewed in a browser