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)