Reading Order

The reading order determines how assistive technologies navigate through your document.

Why Reading Order Matters

Screen readers read content in a specific sequence. If the reading order is incorrect:

• Content may be read out of context
• Users miss important information
• Navigation becomes confusing

Viewing Reading Order

Reading Order Panel

1. Click Tools → Accessibility → Reading Order
2. The panel shows numbered content blocks
3. Numbers indicate the reading sequence

Reading Order Overlay

To see reading order on the document:

1. Click View → Show Reading Order
2. Numbered overlays appear on content
3. Click to select and reorder

Setting Reading Order

Auto-Detect Order

Manual Reading Order

For complex layouts, set order manually:

1. Open the Reading Order panel
2. Click the first content block
3. Assign number 1
4. Continue numbering in reading sequence
5. Click Apply

Common Reading Order Issues

Multi-Column Layouts

Problem: Content reads across columns instead of down.

Solution: Use column detection or manually set order:

1. Column 1, top to bottom
2. Column 2, top to bottom

Sidebars and Callouts

Problem: Sidebar content interrupts main text.

Solution: Place sidebar content:

• After the related main content, or
• At the end of the section

Headers and Footers

Problem: Page headers read before main content.

Solution: Mark headers/footers as artifacts:

1. Select the header/footer
2. Right-click → Tag As → Artifact
3. Artifacts are skipped by screen readers

Figures and Captions

Problem: Caption reads before or after the wrong image.

Solution: Group figure and caption together:

1. Create a Figure tag
2. Place image and caption inside
3. Set caption to read after image

Text Direction

Left-to-Right (LTR)

Standard reading direction for English and most Western languages.

Right-to-Left (RTL)

For Arabic, Hebrew, and similar languages:

1. Open Document Properties
2. Set Primary Language to RTL language
3. Reading order adjusts automatically

Mixed Direction

For documents with both LTR and RTL content:

1. Tag sections by language
2. Set language attribute on each section
3. Screen readers switch direction automatically

Validating Reading Order

Manual Check

1. Open the document in a screen reader
2. Navigate through all content
3. Verify logical sequence

Accessibility Checker

1. Run Tools → Accessibility → Check Accessibility
2. Look for reading order issues
3. Fix flagged problems

Reading Order Best Practices

Tips

• Test with a screen reader after setting order
• Use heading tags for navigation landmarks
• Group related content (figure + caption)
• Mark decorative elements as artifacts
• Consider the user’s cognitive flow

Next Steps

• Document Tagging - Define structure tags before setting reading order
• Table Accessibility - Ensure tables are navigable by screen readers
• Accessibility Checker - Validate reading order and other accessibility issues