This week Robert Hardy, our district website accessibility specialist, shares about working with tables in Microsoft Office and Google Docs. Please call Robert with any accessibility questions at Ext. 6105. He is more than happy to talk by phone or schedule a time to meet with you.

One way to make your content more accessible is to include tables alongside graphs or charts. Including a table not only enhances the accessibility of the document, it also allows data to be easily extracted for future use.

When adding a table, it is important to take a few steps to ensure the table is accessible.

Use True Tables

Be sure to use true tables within your documents, rather than tables built using the tab key. To add a table in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, go to Insert > Table and select your table size.

Mark table row and column headers

When reading a table, users will glance up or to the left to see column or row headers. These titles allow a reader to comprehend relationships within the data.

Unfortunately, unless table row and column headers are programmatically defined, they are inaccessible for a screen reader user.

Microsoft Office

To mark a column or row title in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint:

1. Select the table.
2. Go to the Table Design ribbon.
3. Ensure Header Row and First Column are selected appropriately. Header Row signifies a row of column titles, while First Column denotes row titles.

If your table spreads over multiple pages, you will also want to ensure Repeat Header Rows is selected under the Table Layout ribbon.

Google Docs

Users of Google Docs can use Grackle Docs to create accessible tables:

1. Open the Grackle add-on by going to Add-ons > Grackle Docs > Launch. The Grackle Docs add-on will launch on the right side of the screen.
2. Grackle will recognize that a table has been included without a header row or column. The error will appear as “Tables must be tagged or marked as layout tables.”
3. Click “+Tag” beside the error to enter the Tag Table menu.
4. In the Tag Table menu, select the appropriate options from the “Mark first row as header” and/or “Mark first column as header” options.

Avoid blank or merged cells

If you are converting your final document to PDF, it is recommended to avoid blank or merged cells in your table. Blank or merged cells can confuse Adobe Acrobat, creating tables that are misleading or downright inaccessible. Populate blank cells with meaningful data, or with a placeholder such as inserting three hyphens in the cell. If your table has merged cells, usually contained within a header row, consider if the table can be broken into two simple tables.

For tips on working with tables in other software suites, please refer to the district’s Website Accessibility Resources page. If you have additional questions or tips, please reach out to Robert Hardy at extension 6105.

This week Robert Hardy, our district website accessibility specialist, shares about when to label an image as a “decorative image.” Please call Robert with any accessibility questions at Ext. 6105. He is more than happy to talk by phone or schedule a time to meet with you.

When choosing an alternative text for an image, one option is to label the image as decorative. By marking an image as decorative, authors can indicate the image adds no additional information to the content.

The majority of decorative images are simply aesthetic flourishes such as decorative page breaks or content borders. While visually appealing, these images can create meaningless clutter for a screen reader user. By marking these elements as decorative, authors enable screen reader users to skip over them and focus solely on the content.

Beyond design elements, other images may also be considered decorative, so long as they do not add additional information to the page. For instance, consider the district’s staff directory. It includes profile pictures alongside a name. The likely alternative text for such an image would be the individual’s name, but that information is already included in the accompanying text. By marking the image as decorative, a screen reader user is saved the experience of hearing each name twice, and no meaningful information is lost.

While choosing the correct alternative text for an image is a decidedly subjective task, it can be helpful to keep in mind the content and function of the image. Why is the image included? Would the message be the same without the image? If so, consider marking it as decorative.

To mark an image as decorative in HTML, set the alternative text tag to two quote marks with nothing between them. This alt=”” is universally understood by screen reader users. Software suites, such as Microsoft Office 365 or Acrobat Pro, also allow the author to mark images as decorative.

For more information on crafting alternative text and other accessibility concerns, see the district’s Website Accessibility Resources page.