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    • BC Faculty Members' Creative Assignments
      • Can Erbil & Kalpana Seshardi's Multi-Media Essay Project
      • Heather Olins' Nature Walk Assignment
      • Emine Fetvaci's Exhibition Catalog Assignment
      • Tom Sapsford's Performance Assignment
      • Douglas Warner's Scientific Manuscript Assignment
      • Alexander Auner's Visualization of Physics Project
      • Ethan Baxter & Natana DeLong-Bas' Video Project
      • Angela Ards's "Outsider Press Outlet" Group Project
      • Ángeles Picone's "Unessay" Midterm
      • Nora Gross's Creative Final Project
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Accessible Excel

Updated on March 14, 2024

Excel is a widely used application to organize and present data. With the help of the built in Accessibility Checker, you can design or edit Excel spreadsheets to meet accessibility standards.

Major Points To Keep In Mind

  1. Structure content using the built-in headings and cell styles
  2. Provide each sheet a unique name and remove blank sheets
  3. Specify headers for rows and columns
  4. Add alternative text to images, graphs, and figures
  5. Add links by using the “Insert Hyperlink” feature and ensure hyperlinked text is descriptive
  6. Ensure sufficient color contrast between content and background
  7. Use the built-in Accessibility Checker

Other Points To Keep In Mind

  1. Avoid blank cells, rows, and columns
  2. Avoid merging and splitting cells when possible
  3. Add an “End of Table” message in the row after the last row of a data table row. The text can be in white against a white background.
  4. Avoid watermarks
  5. Avoid using color as the only way to convey meaning. Check for this by asking if the graphic would make sense in black and white. 
  6. Provide an alternative format with equivalent information when documents cannot be made accessible

See The Following For More Comprehensive Guidance

  • Microsoft Guidance on Creating Accessible Excel Spreadsheets
  • Penn State University Tips on Accessible Excel
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