Making Digital Documents Accessible: Practical Steps for Inclusive Design: Samantha Merrett
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand why document accessibility is critical for compliance and inclusion.
- Identify common accessibility barriers in PDFs, Word, and PowerPoint files.
- Apply practical techniques: heading structure, alt text, color contrast, tables, and links.
- Use built-in tools and checkers to test and improve accessibility.
- Gain insight into real-world examples and best practices.
These meetups take place via Zoom and are live captioned. You must register to attend via Zoom.
About the Speaker
Samantha Merrett is a Senior Accessibility Specialist at the Ministry of Justice, where she leads strategic initiatives to embed accessibility across digital services. With over 7 years of experience championing accessible documents and inclusive design, Samantha has developed cross-government training programs, created hands-on learning spaces like the MoJ Accessibility Bar, and co-organises the Document Accessibility Community of Practice, a network spanning 65+ public sector organisations.
She is CPACC certified and passionate about moving accessibility beyond compliance by fostering empathy-driven experiences. Samantha has presented at major conferences, including WordPress Accessibility Day and the MoJ Digital Accessibility Conference, and regularly collaborates with government teams to improve accessibility standards and capability.
Event Information
Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors:
- Live captions: GoDaddy
- Organizer and post-event transcription: Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker
- Your Business here! Learn about sponsorship
Accessibility & Accommodations
This meetup will be held virtually over Zoom and live captioned, thanks to our sponsors. Slide links will be provided when applicable, and presenters are encouraged to make slides as accessible as possible with alternative text for images, etc.
We’re working to secure sponsors so that we can offer ASL interpretation.
All are welcome to attend. If you need specific accommodations to make this meetup work for you, please contact us and we will try our best to accommodate you.
Code of Conduct
Please note that this group is a welcoming space for all. As this event is part of the official WordPress Meetup program, all attendees must follow the WordPress Online Code of Conduct.
By RSVPing to this meetup, you agree to abide by these guidelines. If you have concerns that the Online Code of Conduct is not being followed, don’t hesitate to get in touch with an organizer.