Making Digital Documents Accessible: Practical Steps for Inclusive Design

Samantha Merrett will walk you through how to create digital documents that are truly accessible, sharing practical tips and hands-on guidance you can use right away. You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of how to meet global accessibility requirements while making your documents easier for everyone to read, navigate, and use.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand why document accessibility is critical for compliance and inclusion.
• Identify common accessibility barriers in PDFs, Word, and PowerPoint files.
• Apply practical techniques: heading structure, alt text, color contrast, tables, and links.
• Use built-in tools and checkers to test and improve accessibility.
• Gain insight into real-world examples and best practices.

About the Speaker: Samantha Merrett
Samantha Merrett is a Senior Accessibility Specialist at the Ministry of Justice, where she leads strategic initiatives to embed accessibility across digital services. With over 7 years of experience championing accessible documents and inclusive design, Samantha has developed cross-government training programs, created hands-on learning spaces like the MoJ Accessibility Bar, and co-organises the Document Accessibility Community of Practice, a network spanning 65+ public sector organisations.

She is CPACC certified and passionate about moving accessibility beyond compliance by fostering empathy-driven experiences. Samantha has presented at major conferences, including WordPress Accessibility Day and the MoJ Digital Accessibility Conference, and regularly collaborates with government teams to improve accessibility standards and capability.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Live captions: GoDaddy
• Organizer and post-event transcription: Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker
• Your Business here! Learn about sponsorship

Event Details:
This meetup will be held at 10 AM Central via Zoom webinars.

Registration on Zoom is required to attend. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1017691993681/WN_WMBO7v0mR8-ur6VN2p02Vw

Accessibility & Accommodations:
This meetup will be held virtually over Zoom and live captioned.

Slide links will be provided when applicable, and presenters are encouraged to make slides as accessible as possible with alternative text for images, etc.

We're working to secure sponsors so that we can offer ASL interpretation.

All are welcome to attend. If you need specific accommodations to make this meetup work for you, please contact an organizer, and we will try our best to accommodate you.

Code of Conduct:
Please note that this group is a welcoming space for all, and all members must follow the WordPress Online Code of Conduct.

By RSVPing to this meetup, you agree to abide by these guidelines. If you have concerns that the Online Code of Conduct is not being followed, please contact an organizer.