Relevant to: faculty, staff, and students
This article contains information considered accurate at the time of publishing. Technology updates, changes in University security practices, policies and procedures may effect the information in this article - updates to articles are scheduled on a periodic basis and will address any required changes.
Introduction
Headings create structure that allow all learners to navigate, understand, and engage with content efficiently. For screen reader users, headings function as a map, allowing them to move between sections and understand how ideas are organized. Screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver recognize semantic HTML tags (<H1> through <H6>), announce heading levels (e.g. “Heading Level 2, Introduction”), and enable users to jump between sections or skip large blocks of text. Users can also generate a list of headings, which serves as a summary or table of contents, reinforcing the page structure and the relationships among main ideas, supporting sections, and nested subsections. However, heading structures vary across tools. The purpose of this article is to clarify where headings structure begins for commonly used tools.
Microsoft Word
What you see
Options in the Styles Panel on the Task Ribbon include Title, subtitle, and heading options.
What it means
Title is a visual label for a document, but it is not a part of the heading structure that communicates with screen readers. Headings communicate with screen readers and therefore must be the start of the document’s structure.
What to do
Use Heading 1 (H1) as the document’s title and apply headings in descending order thereafter.
What to avoid
- Do not use Title in place of H1.
- Don’t use multiple H1s for aesthetic purposes.
- Do not skip heading levels.
- Do not use bold or font size to create headings.
Why it matters
Headings provide the structure needed for navigation, organization, and screen reader access (Title alone does not create this structure) and H1s help users understand main topics.
Microsoft PowerPoint
What you see
Title and content placeholders (e.g., Click to add title; click to add text).
What it means
The Title placeholder functions as the main heading for each slide.
What to do
Use the Title placeholder for each slide.
Use built-in slide layouts with structured placeholders.
What to avoid
- Do not repeat titles; titles must be unique from one slide to the next.
- Do not create titles manually using text boxes.
Why it matters
Slide titles enable screen reader users to navigate between slides and support overall comprehension.
PDF (Adobe Acrobat)
What you see
No visible “Title” style in the content but rather, a tags panel with Headings.
What it means
PDFs use tags to define and organize document structure.
What to do
If you need support with the steps below, please search for resources on walking through the tags tree through the Adobe Help Center tags panel or consider registering for Deque University through the Digital Accessibility - Home page and completing training on PDF Accessibility.
Confirm that the document has a logical heading hierarchy: All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Check for accessibility > Open accessibility report.
Verify that headings are tagged correctly.
Under Menu> Document Properties >
Select the Description Tag > and input the Title of the Document
What to avoid
- Do not rely on visual formatting like font size or bold.
- Do not assume that headings exist; verify their existence in the tag tree.
Why it matters
Tags provide the internal structure of a PDF that interacts with screen readers.
The document’s title as posted under file properties identifies the document globally and provides PDF metadata.
Brightspace (Classic Experience)
What you see
Page or module title that entered when creating the page. In this example: Course Syllabus.
What it means
The page title functions as Heading 1 (H1) behind the scenes.
What to do
Start your content at Heading 2 (H2) and continue in order H2, H3, etc. In this example “Dates and Definitions of Study” is an H2.
What to avoid
- Do not start with H1 in the content editor.
- Do not skip heading levels.
Why it matters
Using H2 maintains a consistent structure, prevents a duplicate H1, and ensures accurate screen reader navigation.
Summary
Start content at H1 in Word and in PDFs.
Slide Titles serve as level 1 headings (H1) in PowerPoint.
Start content at the H2 level in Brightspace (Classic Experience)