Authored by Accessibility Committee
Preparing Accessible Paper Submissions For Peer Review
Authors and presenters at ACM RESPECT have a responsibility to prioritize accessibility in the presentation of their work.
All papers are required to be accessible. This requirement applies to both anonymized submissions for peer review and final submissions, per the Call for Contributions. The ACM RESPECT 2026 Conference requests that all authors submit their .docx source file for peer review using only the Accessible ACM Word Template (click to download). Camera-ready instructions will follow for accepted papers. To assist authors in meeting the requirement, we prepared the following Accessibility Checklist.
| Element | Detail | Description | ✓ |
| Content Accessibility | Plain Language | Uses clear, concise language. Avoids jargon and complex sentence structures. Readability score tools in Word or online (e.g., Readable) or having others review your document may be helpful. Resource: Accessible Writing Guide | |
| Headings and Structure | Follows the ACM RESPECT 2026 Accessible ACM Word template (e.g., APA level headings) for uniform headings and subheadings. Uses these to break content into digestible sections. | ||
| Explain Acronyms | Spells out acronyms the first time they are used and explains the concept(s) behind them, following APA formatting (E.g., computer science education (CS Ed)). | ||
| Visual Design | Contrast Colors | Uses high-contrast color schemes. Avoids color combinations that are problematic for color blindness (e.g., red/green, blue/purple). Ensure important information is not conveyed by color alone; rather, use patterns, labels, or symbols in addition. Resource: Webaim Contrast Checker | |
| Font Choices | Uses sans serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Helvetica) that are easier to read. | ||
| Images and Diagrams | Uses alt text for images to describe their content. Provides text descriptions or transcripts for infographics, diagrams, and charts. In figures, legends, and the text that refers to the figures, use different shapes and patterns to provide another way to visually distinguish elements. Resource: Describing Figures | ||
| Anonymous Submissions | Uses proper formatting in text for anonymous submissions (e.g., [Anon] organization contributed to this study…). Does not insert blackout boxes to obscure typed text. (Note: This does not apply to camera-ready.) | ||
| Cognitive Accessibility | Chunking Information | Divides complex ideas into smaller, manageable chunks. Uses summaries or abstracts to highlight key points. | |
| Consistent Layout | Maintains a predictable structure to reduce cognitive load. | ||
| When exporting documents, authors are encouraged to review and test their .DocX using tools such as Microsoft Accessibility checker or WAVE to identify accessibility issues. For best practice, testing submissions with a screen reader is suggested. | |||
Resources for Accessible Word Documents
SIGAccess Create an Accessible ACM Submission Using Microsoft Word
SIGAccess Accessibility Guide for Authors (Word Directions Only Apply for Initial Review)