Accessible Excel 2016/365

By Richard Steinberg
Accessibility Implementation Lead
Wells Fargo Digital Solutions for Business (DS4B)

(To view slides and speaker notes, press S key)

Introductions

A silhouette of a person

Accessibility Considerations

  • Keyboard Only
  • Screen Magnification
  • Use of Color
  • Screen Reader Friendly
  • Cognitive Load

General Tips

  • Make sure your language is set in Excel properties/complete Metadata
  • Make sure sheets have unique names and delete unused sheets
  • If a sheet has multiple tables, blank row between each. Best practice one table per sheet.
  • Complex tables can only be made accessible if Excel version converted to PDF or HTML
  • Remove comments
  • Don't embed multimedia
  • If your sheet needs instructions, put them in A1 cell
  • Set zoom level and focus on starting cell for each sheet (usually A1)
  • Add alternative text for charts and graphs--more on this later

Can You Spot the Differences?

Links below open files in MS Excel

Before Remediation After Remediation
Excel spreadsheet before remediation Excel spreadsheet after remediation

Before and After

table before remdiation table after remdiation

What did you find?

  • Unused rows and columns hidden
  • Shading
  • Named tabs
  • Extra worksheet deleted
  • Merged cells
  • Wording changed
  • Spacing changed
  • Font changed
  • White text--end of sheet
  • Zoom level different
  • Sheet named

JAWS Announcing Before and After

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ZoomText Displaying Before and After

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Spacing and Fonts

Optimize for users who use screen magnification.

table before remediation for screen magnification table after remediation for screen magnification

How to Set the Default Font

Excel screen for setting default font

Simplyfying Tables

  • Use a simple table structure and specify row and column header information.
  • If your table is not structured like that, you need to rethink it.

How Can This Table Be Simplified?

Link to Before example MS Excel

example of table that needs to be simplified

How Can This Table Be Simplified? Solved.

Link to After example MS Excel

example of table that has been simplified

Importance of Table Headers

  • When creating a table from scratch, Excel allows you to define table headers.
  • This information is not communicated to all screen reader users.

Inserting table header from Excel insert table menu

Using Name Manager

  • Microsoft Excel has a built-in function called Name Manager that can be used to give names to a cell or range of cells.
  • Using a special naming convention, JAWS and NVDA can recognize table header rows and columns. Microsoft reports that Narrator also recognizes this coding.
  • Determine if table has column headers, row headers, or both column and row headers
  • Define regions as long as they begin with the string Title, ColumnTitle, or RowTitle.
  • Each name in a workbook no matter what sheet it is on must have a unique name.
  • Download before practice Excel file. In practice file, we'll start Sheet 1, 1. Contact List
  • Download after practice Excel file to compare.

Column Title Steps

In practice file, this is on Sheet 1, 1. Contact List

Step 1 is to select cell where column titles begin, then select Name Manager from Formulas tab or keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+F3 Step 2 is to select New under Name manager Step 3 In Name, type ColumnTitle (use camel case); In Scope, select Workbook; and ensure Refers to says, ='1. Contact List'!$A$2 Step 4 Select OK button, then Close button for Name Manager

JAWS and Column Title

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Rows Title Steps

Step 1 is to select cell where column titles begin, then select Name Manager from Formulas tab or keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+F3 Step 2 is to select New under Name manager Step 3 In Name, type RowTitle (use camel case); In Scope, select Workbook; and ensure Refers to says, ='2. Stock Quotes'!$A$2 Step 4 Select OK button, then Close button for Name Manager

Row and Column Titles

Step 1 is to select cell where the inntersection of of row and column titles begin, then select Name Manager from Formulas tab or keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+F3 Step 2 is to select New under Name manager Step 3 In Name, type Title (use upper case T); In Scope, select Workbook; and ensure Refers to says, ='3. Vocational Rehab Program'!$A$2 Step 4 Select OK button, then Close button for Name Manager

Multiple Tables

  • The original method of writing a name for a region in a Workbook with mulltiple tables was TitleRegion#.TopLeftCell.BottomRightCell.WorksheetNumber
  • Recent versions of JAWS and NVDA now let you omit the top left cell, bottom right, and the worksheet number.
  • You may use this technique throughout a workbook containing many worksheets, as long as each name is unique.
  • Using the third example in Excel file (Vocational Rehabilitation Program), the old naming convention would have been TitleRegion1.A2.C11.3

Multiple Tables Example

Mutiple Tables on Multiple Worksheets Example

Directions on using Name Manager in Excel workbook with multiple tables on multiple sheets. Table 1 can be named Title1, table 2 named Title2, and table 3 named Title3

TOC for Multiple Sheets

creating a blank sheet called table of contents entering table of contents entries highlight cell and insert hyperlink with control k Select Place in This Document, then select place from list you created in Name Manager

TOC for Multiple Sheets-Completed

Completed Example

Intro to Color Blindness

table with colored cells before remediation table with colored cells after remediation

Pie Chart Examples

Color pie chart with key off to right side Black and white version of same pie chart with key off to right side Black and white version of same pie chart with key off to right side and labels and numbers in pie slices Black and white version of same pie chart with lines pointing to pie slices with labels and numbers Black and white version of same pie chart with with labels and numbers using white text in pie slidces. Some text fails color contrast. Black and white version of same pie chart with with labels and numbers using black text in pie slidces. Some text fails color contrast.

Checking Colors

Working with Charts and Alt Text

Links below open files in MS Excel

Before Remediation After Remediation
Excel spreadsheet with charts before remediation Excel spreadsheet with charts after remediation

Microsoft guide to writing alt text for Excel

Before and After Chart 1

table before remediation table after remediation

Before and After Chart 2

table before remediation table after remediation

Before and After Chart 3

table before remediation table after remediation

Bonus Tip: Form Fields

  • Add borders for low vision users
  • Add light shading for all users
  • Add tooltips for cells where information needs to be entered
    • Go to Data Tab and select Data Visualization, then Data Visualization
    • Enter a brief message to announce to screen reader users
    • All users will see the input message on hover
  • Example form, MyForm.xlsx

References

Accessible Excel 2016/365

Thank you!