Accessible Written Testimony Guide

The Minnesota Legislature prioritizes accessibility in compliance with Minnesota Statutes 3.199 and the State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard. To learn more about accessibility at the Minnesota Legislature, review the Accessibility Statement. Please email accessibility.coordinator@lcc.mn.gov or call (651) 296- 6036 or (651) 296-6035 if you have questions.

When submitting written testimony, please share your content in an accessible PDF format. Accessibility efforts help expand the potential for engagement with your content to the widest audience. Information about how to make your document more accessible is listed below.

Note: If you are submitting content on behalf of a Minnesota State Agency, refer to the digital accessibility policy for your agency/office and the State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard. Please reach out to your agency’s Digital Accessibility Coordinator for assistance or if you have questions about making your materials accessible.

5 Impactful Steps to Make Your Document More Accessible

1. Apply Styles/headings to add structure to your document.
   1. Applying Styles/Headings goes beyond simply making text large and bold to designate a new section. Styles/Headings helps assistive technology users navigate your document.
   2. Start with Heading 1 and only include a single Heading 1. If you add more headings, do not skip heading levels
   3. Use the built-in title, subtitle, and heading styles resource
   
   
2. Write hyperlinks that describe the link destination, such as “2026 Preliminary Findings”.
   1. Avoid using vague hyperlink test such as “click here” or “read more”.
   2. Create Accessible Hypertext Links resource


3. If you include an important image in your testimony, add alternative text (alt text) to describe the image.
   1. Alt text provides a written description of the graphic for individuals who cannot see the image.
   2. Alt text is also useful for situations when an image fails to load for bandwidth or security reasons.
   3. Add alt text to visuals resource
   4. Alt Text – Charts, Maps, and Diagrams resource


4. Use color mindfully.
   1. Check color contrast if you change text color from the default black, highlight text or use a background color.
      1. Use a tool like the WebAIM Contrast Checker to learn more.
   2. Do not convey meaning using color alone. An example of conveying meaning through solely color is writing, “My comments are listed below in red.”
      1. If someone cannot perceive color or your testimony is printed in black and white, the distinction between the red comments and other text is lost. Instead, use color with an additional element like text or symbols. “My comments are listed below in red and marked with my initials.”
   
   
5. Use accessibility checkers built into the software you are using to generate your document. Accessibility Checkers can alert you to errors and provide suggestions for improvement.
   1. Check accessibility while you work in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Microsoft resource
   2. Make your document, presentation, sheets & videos more accessible, Google resource

Additional Ways to Increase Document Accessibility

• Use built in tools to create lists (Bullets, Numbering, Multilevel List) instead of manually creating lists using hyphens for example.
• Only include tables in your testimony document to share and organize data, not for layout/design purposes.
  • Designate row/column headers in each table.
  • Avoid merged and split cells.
  • Do not include a screenshot image of a table.
  • If you must, be sure to also include a link to the data source and add descriptive alt text to the image of the table!
• Do not use text boxes.
• Add document properties for title, subject, and author.