formatting tables

There are a few things that document creators can do within Word to help ensure accessibility. Keep in mind that the content covered in the previous tabs in this Guide should be considered when designing a Word document. This page outlines a few basic Word tools that will allow users to identify images, format text, and format tables.

Image Identification

Microsoft Word allows you to add alt text to tables, diagrams, images, and other visual objects. The following illustrates how to accomplish this task.

To add Alt Text to an image:

Add the image to the document.
Select the image.
From the Word menu, select Format > Picture.
From the resulting prompt, click on Alt Text..
Enter the Alt Text into the Description field.
Note: Do not enter the Alt Text into the Title field.
Click [OK].

Formatting Text

Microsoft Word contains a number of tools that can help users make text accessible. The following instructions outline how to create headers and lists.

Text Headings

To properly format text headings:

Select the text that should be a header.
From the Styles pane on the Home tab, select the appropriate Heading format.

Lists

To properly format numbered or bulleted lists:

Select the text that should be made into a list.
From the Paragraph pane on the Home tab, select either the Numbered or Bulleted list icon.
To indent list items, select the Indent icon.

Formatting Tables

Microsoft Word allows you to add alt text to describe the table and to indicate whether the first row is a header. The following instructions illustrate how to accomplish these tasks.

Table Headers

To identify the first row of a table as a header row:

Select the table.
From the Table menu item, select Heading Rows Repeat.

Table Alt Text

To add Alt Text to a table:

Select the table.
Click on Table in the top menu.
From the Table menu, select Table Properties.
If not already selected, click the Alt Text tab.
Enter the alternative text for the table into the Description field.
Note: Do not add the alt text to the Title field.
Click [OK].

Resources

Microsoft Word – Creating Accessible Documents This webpage outlines the tools available within Microsoft Word to ensure the document is accessible.

Return to Accessibility Page

The following four(4) guidelines pertain to formatting tables for digital content:

Tables should only be used to present data; they should not be used to control page layout.
The row containing the column headings should be identified as a header row.
Use the simplest possible table configuration. Avoid extra rows or columns for spacing. Avoid nesting tables and keep cell merges to a minimum.
Ensure table size is controlled by percentages not pixels.

Table Use

The purpose of a table is to present data not to format document or page layout.

Good Example:

Pet Type	Age	Gender
dog	2 years	Female
cat	10 months	Male

Bad Example:

Table Headings

Without the designation of column header or just heading, the content in the first row of a table is just data. It is important that the first row of the table be formatted as a heading row. This calls out the type of content the user should expect to find within the cells in that column.

Good Example:

Pet Type	Age	Gender
dog	2 years	Female
cat	10 months	Male

Bad Example:

Pet Type	Age	Gender
dog	2 years	Female
cat	10 months	Male

Adding Table Headers in Canvas

Thankfully, Canvas has a very functional table editor. Unfortunately, the editor does not automatically recognize the first row of a table as a header row. The following are instructions for how to identify the first row of a table as a header row.

Select the first row of the table.
From the table formatting icon, select Row.
From the row options, select Row Properties.
From the General Tab, select Header from Row Type.
Click [OK].

Table Configuration

Tables should be simple and straight forward avoiding empty rows/columns, merging cells, and other actions that may be construed as trying to control the layout of content.

Good Example

Pet Type	Age	Gender
dog	2 years	Female
cat	10 months	Male

Bad Example

Available Pets
Dogs	Cats
2 years	Female	10 months	Male
loves to play	Contact us to adopt.	loves bird watching

Setting Table Width in Canvas

Setting the table width to calculate as a percentage rather than a specified pixel count allows the table to more easily reformat for various screen sizes. While 100% would be the most desired table width, the design of Canvas necessitates the table width to be set to 95% instead. This width is already set in the Geisel Templates, but if you are adding additional tables you can set the table width as follows:

Select the table.
From the Table icon, select Table Properties.
From Table Properties, enter 95% in the Width field. (There is no need to set table height.)
Enter 1 into the Border field to add lines around the table and the cells. (Optional, but it looks nice.)
Click [OK].

Resources

Creating Accessible Tables This webpage outlines the format and structure needed to create accessible tables.

Return to Accessibility Page

Available Pets
Bloomers 2 years old female loves to play
	Rascal 10 months old male loves bird watching