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Accessible Information Policy

This policy sets out a formal commitment by Trinity that all information should be available in an accessible format, without discrimination against those with print disabilities. Accessible information is information provided in a clear, easy to follow format. See below, for a summary on how to ensure compliance with Trinity's Accessible Information Policy.

Font Type and Size:

Source Sans Pro is the preferred font to be used for the new Letterhead and PowerPoint presentation templates delivered as part of the Trinity Identity Initiative. This font is available for download for both PC and Mac, with installation instructions for the various font weights i.e. regular, bold and italic.

Trinity staff who do not have access to Source Sans Pro should use a sans-serif font, such as Calibri for day-to-day use. The use of a text size no smaller than 12 point on all communications is recommended.

Heading Styles and Formatting:

  • Ensure all headings are formatted correctly and used consistently throughout your document.
  • Bold print is often a good idea, but italics can be harder to read, as can underlined writing.
  • Avoid use of BLOCK CAPITALS as these can be difficult to read as they rob the words of their natural shape.
  • Left justify - this is easiest to read as it gives the page a shape.
  • Avoid centred and fully justified text as it can be more difficult to read.

Contrast and Background Colour:

  • Avoid black text on bleached white paper. Aim instead for unbleached paper, or lightly coloured paper (e.g. yellow, lilac).
  • Black on white can be difficult to read as it causes glare. Paper quality is important: glossy, textured or lightweight papers can make text much more difficult to read.
  • Have a good colour contrast. For many people this can be more important than the actual size of the font. Remember that what seems readable to one person may be unreadable to another.
  • Use a plain background. Watermarks and background images can make documents illegible.

Use of Images:

  • Ensure all images have alternative text descriptions if relevant to the document message.

Additional information on making electronic documents, Word, Email, PowerPoint and PDF formats accessible is available here.