Excel Spreadsheets

General
Excel Spreadsheets Accessibility Rule How To Fix

Add text to cell A1

Screen readers start reading any worksheet from cell A1.

A screen reader starts reading any worksheet from cell A1. If you have a table on the worksheet, A1 should preferably be the title of the table.

If the sheet is long or complex, add instructions or an overview of the sheet in cell A1. This will inform people who are blind what’s being presented in your worksheet and how to use it. This instructional text can match the background color. This will hide it from people who can see, but allows it to be read by screen readers.

Negative numbers are identified using multiple means, not just red font color.

Users who have difficulty distinguishing colors will not be able to tell the difference between positive and negative values.

To add additional means:

  1. Locate the number.
  2. Ensure the cells are set to a Number format in the Number group of the Home tab (the default is usually General).
  3. Add the negative symbol to identify a negative number. (Red font color may be used as well as the parenthesis format as an indicator the number is negative.

The document is not corrupt (malformed).

Documents that are malformed cannot be opened and viewed by many or even most people. While some technologies might be able to deal with some malformed documents, there is no guarantee that everyone will be able to view the document or that the formatting and content will be as intended.

If you can open the file on your computer:

  1. Copy and paste the content in a new spreadsheet.
  2. Save the new document.

If you do not have the original source document or cannot open the file: You may not be able to fix this problem.

All sheet tabs have unique names, and blank sheets are deleted.

Sheets in the workbook should include a descriptive title. Blank sheets should be deleted.

Screen readers read sheet names, which provides information about what is found on the worksheet. Descriptive sheet names, such as “October sales totals,” make it easier to understand the contents of and navigate through workbooks.

To rename sheet tabs:

  1. Right-click on sheet tab and select Rename.
  2. Type a brief, unique, descriptive name.
  3. Press Enter on the keyboard.

To delete sheet tabs:

  1. Right-click a sheet tab and select Delete.
  2. Select Delete.

Sufficient contrast between text and background is present.

People with low vision, poor vision, or color blindness often find it hard to read text that does not contrast with the background.

Colors of the text and background must be different enough to make the text easy to see. A contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text, and 3:1 for large text should be present.

To edit text font color:

  1. Select the text.
  2. Use the font color menu to change light font colors to a darker shade.

Avoid the use of font colors such as pink, yellow and orange.

Font Type: Easily readable sans serif fonts (such as Tahoma, Verdana, Arial or Calibri) is used.

Font Size of at least 12 point (for printouts) is used.

Select a font that is easily legible to benefit all users. Basic, simple sans serif fonts, including Tahoma, Verdana, Arial or Calibri were developed specifically for use in electronic media. Sans serif fonts contain no extra decorations or flourishes, making them highly legible fonts.

Avoid the use of decorative or overly stylized fonts, which are often difficult to read even for users without visual impairments or reading disabilities.

To edit the font type or size:

  1. From the Font menu, select an appropriate font type.
  2. From the Font Size menu, select 12 or larger.

Document has a set language*, and the set language is correct.

*Note:

The default language is English.

Documents should specify the language in which it has been created. Screen reading technologies rely on the specified language to determine how to pronounce the document text.

To review or set the document language:

  1. Select File.
  2. Select Options.
  3. Select Language.
  4. Make sure the appropriate language is set as the default for Editing, Display and Help Language.

Spreadsheet has a simple structure.

Users rely on simple spreadsheet structures to navigate via keyboard shortcuts and screen reading technologies.

Spreadsheets should have a simple, two-dimensional structure so that they can be easily navigated and understood. This means there should be no merged cells, or nesting tables within another table as they can change the reading order of the spreadsheet.

To remove merged cells:

  1. Select the merged cell.
  2. Split the merged cell by selecting the Merge & Center button in the Alignment group of the Home tab. (This is an "on/off" button so clicking it will remove the merging format.)

Add meaningful hyperlink text and ScreenTips.

People who use screen readers sometimes scan a list of links.

Avoid using link texts such as "Click here," "See this page," "Go here," or "Learn more." Instead include the full title of the destination page. You can also add ScreenTips that appear when your cursor hovers over text or images that include a hyperlink.
Images
Excel Spreadsheets Accessibility Rule How To Fix

Avoid using images when possible, use tools within excel for graphs, charts, ect when possible.

Images in Excel float above the cells making it hard for users to navigate them if they use a keyboard only to navigate.

Do not add images, if possible.

Alternative text (alt text) is provided for all non-text content, including Images, Drawings, Elements (arrows, lines, etc.), or Charts.

Alternative text is a textual alternative for an image that makes it easier to connect the image to its context and allows users with visual impairments to perceive the image.

Screen readers speak the alternative text to describe images and other non-text content that users cannot see. Based on alt text, users can understand the purpose and meaning of the described content.

Decorative images should be identified as decorative. Images identified as decorative will be skipped over by screen readers so be purposeful when identifying images as decorative.

To add/edit/review alternative text:

  1. Add Alt Text to a cell next to the image.
  2. Right-click on the image. (Shft + F10).
  3. Select Edit Alt Text.
  4. Enter alternative text in the field.

Note:

 Alt Text can be added to the image itself, but it also needs to be in a cell next to the image. In Excel, images float above the cells, therefore if a user is using their keyboard to navigate, they will not be able to find the image to hear the alt text.

Images do not have contrast issues.

Images that contain text with low contrast between the text and its background can cause the text to be difficult to read, especially for those with low vision, poor eyesight or color blindness.

To adjust the contrast of an image:

If you have access to an editing program, such as Photoshop: Upload the image into a program to increase the contrast.

If you do not have access to an image editing program:

  1. Open PowerPoint.
  2. Insert the image to a slide.
  3. Under the Picture Format tab, adjust the contrast of the image in the Corrections dropdown menu.
  4. Right-click on the image to save it as a picture.

Images or other multimedia are not prone to induce seizures.

Animated images that contain flashing or contrasting lights or patterns can lead to seizures for people that suffer from photosensitive epilepsy, which is a very serious and potentially life-threatening condition. In addition, animated images with these characteristics can be generally unpleasant to look at, even for those not prone to seizures.

Find an alternative image. Do not use this image.
Tables
Excel Spreadsheets Accessibility Rule How To Fix

Tables specify column header information. Tables should not be used for layout purposes.

If a table does not need headings (the top row or first column does not serve as a label for the data/info underneath/beside) then do not use a table.

Users rely on the table headings to understand the content that is subsequently read by the screen reader. Also, screen reading technologies often use the table header row to help convey to the user the current cursor location in the table and to provide information that enables the user to navigate the table.

To identify a header row:

  1. From the Insert tab, select Table.
  2. In the text field, identify the cells where the data is located.
  3. Select the My table has headers option.
  4. Select Ok.

To add descriptive headers to a table:

  1. Click on the cell.
  2. Type a new, descriptive column header name to replace the default name.

Alternative Text (alt text) is provided for cells formatted as tables.

The same way alt text can convey the meaning of an image, the alt text in a table provides screen reader users a summary of information that sighted users get when quickly browsing a table.

To add alternative text:

  1. Right-click on the table, and select Table.
  2. Select Alternative Text.
  3. Type a description of the table into the Description text box.

Name cells and ranges.

When you name cells and ranges, screen reader users can quickly identify the purpose of cells and ranges.

Name cells and ranges so that screen reader users can quickly identify the purpose of cells and ranges in Excel worksheets. 

Users can use the Go To command (Ctrl+G) to open up a dialog box which lists all the defined names. By selecting a name, a user can quickly jump to the named location.

  1. Select the cell or range of cells that you want to name.
  2. Select Formulas > Define name.
  3. Enter the name and select OK.

Note:

The name must start with a letter, an underscore (_), or a backslash (\) and cannot contain spaces.

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This page content is offered under a CC Attribution license.