Post on 13-Jul-2020
Last Update: 10/03/2020
Accessibility Tips for Excel Spreadsheets
In the time of crisis, faculty members should ensure uploading accessible Excel spreadsheets on
Moodle. Therefore, faculty members may follow the steps recommended below to present
students with accessible Excel spreadsheets.
1. Choose Accessible Font
To present an accessible text in Excel sheets, use a font size that is not less than 12 points.
Regarding the font style, make sure to use sans serifs font styles in Excel sheets. The most
common sans serif fonts are Arial, Avant-Garde, Calibri, Helvetica, and Geneva. Users with
special needs find it hard to read words with serifs (small lines at the edge of the characters),
decorative fonts, and those whose letters are close to one another.
Accepted Style Rejected Style
This is an example of presenting accessible
text. It follows the guidelines of using the
accepted font size and style.
This is an example of a rejected text. It shows the small
font size and a serif font style.
2. Use the ‘Right’ Color
It is recommended to use dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background.
This option helps students with low vision.
Moreover, make sure you do not depend on colors as the primary method to convey a
particular message. If you are using a specific color to highlight an idea, provide a different
Last Update: 10/03/2020
representation that is not color-dependent. For example, users with color-deficiency cannot
locate a message after reading, “kindly find the important message in red.” To highlight the
vital message, use distinctive font styles such as bold, underline, double underline, or other
forms.
In the case of graphs, make sure to change the patterns of the data representation (Bars in Bar
Graphs, Lines in Line graphs, etc.) from plain to specific designs as per the example below.
3. Write a Title
Excel sheets are made up of rows and columns. Thus, the users that depend on assistive
technology need a description of what the spreadsheet holds.
Cell “A1” is the first cell that screen readers can spot. Therefore, you need to use this cell as a
Title Cell. Make sure to provide a descriptive title of the table or data that is presented in the
spreadsheet.
Sometimes, particular spreadsheets contain more than one table with a graph, for example.
Such a large spreadsheet can confuse visually impaired users since they are not able to scan the
document like a sighted user. Therefore, make sure to write a more descriptive text in “A1” in
that case. For example: “This spreadsheet contains two data tables and a chart.” If the table is a
long one, you can also include in the description the number of rows and columns.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Type A Type B Type C
Example of Bar Graph
Series 1 Series 2 Series 3
Last Update: 10/03/2020
Moreover, if more than one table is presented in the table, make sure to add a title to both
tables. In the row that comes right before the table, type the title representing the second data
table.
Make sure not to leave cell “A1” empty.
4. Adjust Rows Heights and Columns Widths
Blank rows and columns in Excel sheets confuse users that depend on assistive technology
software. Users might think that the sheet includes no more data or information. Thus, they
either move to another document or waste time navigating to other rows and columns until
they find additional information.
Therefore, if you wish to provide extra space in the spreadsheet, make sure you do not leave
any row or column empty. Instead, adjust the rows’ heights and columns’ width to provide
more space.
Last Update: 10/03/2020
5. Insert Readable Tables
Writing data input in the rows and columns of Excel does not make it a table by default.
Instead, you need to use the ‘Insert Table’ option in Excel. When you insert the table, make
sure you label the header of the table. Changing the design to bold does not make it a heading
if the label is not selected. As stated previously, make sure you do not start adding data in cell
A1 since it is used to add the title of the document.
When adding a table, make sure to use a design that matches ‘the right color’ as stated
previously. It is advisable to choose from the designs available in Excel. When you choose a
design, it is also recommended to choose the choice where rows are banded (showing shadings
to alternative rows).
By default, screen readers in Excel read the information from left to right, starting with the first
row and moving to the next. Therefore, when the screen reader starts reading a table, it reads
the header first from left to right, then it starts reading the first data row, and accordingly
moves forward. Therefore, users that depend on screen readers cannot keep track of the
meaning of each value without memorizing the order of the headings.
To solve this problem, you need to highlight the title region through an excel formula. By
selecting the title region, the screen reader will identify the header of the value selected and
the row title. To highlight a title region:
1. Select the cell in the upper-left corner of the table (not the table title). Select Format
from the Cells group in the Home tab.
2. Select Define Name From the Formulas tab. The New Name dialog opens.
3. Enter TitleRegion followed by the following four values (no spaces, separated by
periods) in the Name field:
a. A unique number within the sheet (e.g., 1 for the first table)
b. First (upper-left) cell in the table (e.g., A2)
c. Last (lower-right) cell in the table (e.g., C5)
Last Update: 10/03/2020
d. Sheet number (e.g., 2 for the second tab in the workbook)
It is important to note that RowTitleRegion or ColumnTitleRegion is used for tables that only
have row or column headers.
6. Create Meaningful Link Names
If you wish to provide users with a link, you may provide the full hyperlink address in Excel
sheet. To support users who depend on assistive technology software, add a ScreenTip, through
the hyperlink option, where you include a description of the link.
You may also provide the user with a link text that describes the purpose of the link instead of
sharing the full hyperlink address. The user will thus choose whether to press on the link for
further navigation or not.
Last Update: 10/03/2020
7. Run Spelling Check
Excel does not have the option of checking misspelled words with a red line underneath them.
Therefore, make sure you run the spelling check option by following the steps below:
1. Select the Review tab in the ribbon.
2. Choose Spelling in the Proofreading group.
3. Follow the prompts.
Make sure to check the spelling in each spreadsheet at a time.
8. Alternative Text
All images used in the Excel spreadsheets should have alternative text that serves as an
equivalent purpose to the non-text representation. The alternative text should provide a full
description of what the image is.
Therefore, if you present an image in your Excel sheet, make sure to provide a full description
that allows visually impaired users to understand the context you are trying to transfer. The
alternative text should provide the same necessary information to users using assistive
technology software as those who do not need to use it. If the image is used for decoration
only, you may either avoid writing the description or write “media used for decoration.” To
write an alternative text:
1. Right-click on the image.
2. Choose the Format option. A dialog appears.
3. Select the Layout & Property label
4. Type the alternative text in the Description box, not the Title box. It is recommended to
add a title to the non-text representation.
Last Update: 10/03/2020
In the case of charts, though, Excel does not have the option to add alternative text by
following the option stated previously. Instead, you need to add the alternative text in a
separate cell, so the screen reader reads it.
9. Add the Final Important Touch
Users that depend on assistive technology cannot locate the end of the spreadsheet. Therefore,
make sure to write “End of Spreadsheet” after the last filled row. To differentiate between
sighted users and visually impaired users, change the color of the statement to white on a
white background (Or use the same color as the background).
Since assistive technology tools, such as the screen reader, reads all sheets available in the
document, make sure to delete empty sheets that do not hold any information.
When an Excel document is saved, it remembers the last spreadsheet you were working on and
the last cell selected in every spreadsheet. Therefore, to ensure that the screen reader begins
at cell A1, make sure to select it before saving the file. Moreover, if you want the users to start
navigating the first sheet, then select it before saving the file.
10. Accessibility Checker
Microsoft Excel includes an option that evaluates the accessibility of the document. This tool
assesses the content that some users find it hard to read. However, it does not detect all issues
of accessibility in an Excel spreadsheet. Some of the issues that the Accessibility Checker does
not detect are related to colors, fonts, use of language, and methods to convey information.
The Accessibility Checker also provides recommendations to fix the issues it highlights. To use
the Accessibility Checker option:
1. Select File
2. Select Info
3. Select the “Check For Issues” button.
Last Update: 10/03/2020
4. Choose from the drop-down menu, Check Accessibility.
References
1. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1
2. The National Center on Disability and Access to Education: Creating Accessible Spreadsheets
in Microsoft Excel 2010/2013 (Windows) & 2011 (Mac)