Documents
Repair Heading Structure in Word
Published by whatisADA / Grow Wild Agency · Updated
Purpose and preparation
Make the document's visible sections available as a navigable heading hierarchy. Work in the editable Word source and record the application version. Distinguish the document title, major sections and subordinate topics before changing styles.
A practical example
A policy uses large bold paragraphs as section labels but offers no useful heading navigation.
How to check it
- Outline the policy's sections in order and identify which paragraphs actually introduce content. Apply the appropriate built-in heading styles to those paragraphs.
- Inspect the navigation outline and move between sections with a screen reader. Check that heading text describes the section and nesting reflects the document's relationships.
- Adjust the styles for the intended visual design, then export a test PDF if that is the distribution format. Verify that the heading structure survives export.
What can be missed
Changing a font size does not create a semantic heading. Conversely, applying a heading style to decorative text adds misleading navigation entries.
Record your test
Use this worksheet to record what you actually checked. Notes stay on this device when you choose Save; they are not sent to us. Avoid personal or confidential information on shared devices.
These are your observations, not automated results or a conformance certificate. A complete evaluation needs appropriate scope, supported technologies, all applicable criteria and relevant page states.
Primary sources and scope
This is independent implementation guidance with original examples. The linked standard contains the full definitions, exceptions and conformance requirements. A criterion or checklist alone does not establish legal applicability or whole-site conformance.