Guidance for contractors on tone of voice and accessibility
Council communications must be
- inclusive
- easy to read
- accessible by all, including people with
- physical disabilities
- situational disabilities
- socio-economic restrictions.
We are now legally obliged to meet certain legal standards. If you’re producing documents on our behalf which will be made public, including put on our website or attached to committee reports, they must be accessible.
This includes making sure documents meet accessiblity standards by for example
- applying styles and formatting properly in Word, PowerPoint and Excel
- using alt text for images
- making sure colour contrast is sufficient.
Alongside our Council brand guidelines please follow our
Microsoft also has excellent resources on how to make your Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents meet accessibility standards.
Some basic guidance
Always use
- good colour contrast – white text can be reversed from our brand colours (except orange if font size is below 18)
- a readable font size – aim for 14 point for people with visual impairment and 11 minimum point for other readers.
Do not use
- coloured text for long blocks of copy – headings in font +14 can be used in colour
- low colour contrast
- a small font size (less than 10 point)
- use text on busy backgrounds or images.
Languages and other formats
We must provide information in different formats and languages on request. This includes Braille, large print, different languages including British Sign Language. Council services must include the ‘Happy to Translate’ symbol and this text on documents and reports:
‘If you would like this information in another format such as Braille, large print or translation, please contact the Interpretation and Translation Service email its@edinburgh.gov.uk quoting the unique reference xxx.’
Please speak to your Council contact who will be able to to request the unique reference number.