Wow, there's a lot in that one question!
First, accessibility is about making the file accessible everyone, regardless of their disability or software/hardware they use to access the file. So it's not just for the "visually impaired."
- Sight and Low-Vision.
- Deaf and Low-Hearing.
- Impaired upper body mobility or ability to operate a mouse or keyboard.
- Neurologic disabilities.
- Cognitive disabilities (ADHA, dyslexia, reading disorders, learning disorders, etc.)
Second, if you're using guidance documents that specify Windows 10, they are grossly out of date. The standards have been expanded since Windows 10 was around, as well as our software tools (like Acrobat) and industry best practices. The best set of guidance available for free is from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) at https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/accessibility-checklists/index.html
Third, the how-to of making an accessible document, either a source file like Word.docx or a PDF exported from Word, is much more detailed than can be described in this forum. It's an entire class — or two!
Highly encourage you to get good training in this area. You're going to need it for the rest of your career — accessibility requirements are expanding and, therefore, will be part of our worklives for the future. My firm has classes (PubCom.com), but there are other options available, too.
Welcome to the field! And we wish you the best, too.
| Bevi Chagnon | Designer, Trainer, & Technologist for Accessible Documents |
| PubCom | Classes & Books for Accessible InDesign, PDFs & MS Office |
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