Welcome back, Defenders of Accessibility!
Over the past weeks, we’ve honed our skills by defeating minor foes like typography and alternative text. But now, as we descend deeper into the Accessibility Upside Down, we face our most formidable adversaries yet: the Boss Monsters—Document Structure, PDFs, and Video Captioning.
Our first boss awaits: Document Structure. To defeat it, we’ll need to understand its five key vulnerabilities—headings, fonts, lists, tables, and spacing.
Headings
Use built-in heading styles to structure information on a page, regardless of whether you are composing in Word, Google Docs, or Canvas. For example, use the Title option for the title of the page, and Headings 2, 3, and 4 to define subsections. Choose the paragraph option for content text. We learned about this in Chapters 3 & 4 of our challenge, Text and Typography, if you’d like to review this topic.
Fonts
Another vulnerability to exploit: In Chapters 3 & 4 we also covered best practices for choosing a font type and size. You’ll recall that we want to avoid any font smaller than 9-point (12-16 point fonts are ideal). We also want to avoid serif fonts (“fonts with feet”). Choosing a sans-serif font of an appropriate size allows those with visual impairments to enlarge the text for greater readability.
Lists
Lists have their own dark secrets. To keep them accessible:
- Avoid creating make-shift lists with dashes and asterisks.
- Create lists using the tools provided in Google, Word, or Canvas, respectively. Doing so ensures that the HTML code used by screen readers remains intact.
- When the order of information isn’t important, choose bulleted lists.
- When the order of information is important, choose numbered lists.
- Use the indent button to create sub-lists, which maintains the hierarchical structure for screen readers.
Tables
Tables are trickier adversaries—here’s how to outsmart them:
- Use tables only for actual data (not layout), and always create them using built-in tools rather than pasting from elsewhere—formatting may not transfer accessibly.
- Create tables using the tools provided in Google, Word, or Canvas, respectively.
Tips for Tables in Google Docs:
- Designate header rows: Go to Table properties and check “Header row” so screen readers identify which row contains column headers
- Use simple structures: Avoid merged cells when possible
- Keep it linear: Tables should read logically from left to right, top to bottom
- Add context: Include a caption or introductory sentence before the table explaining what it shows
Tips for Tables in Canvas LMS:
- Use the table tool properly: When inserting a table in the Rich Content Editor, use Table > Insert Table (not just formatting with borders)
- Set header rows/columns: After creating the table, go to Table > Table properties and designate header rows and/or columns
- Add a caption: Use the Caption option in Table properties to describe the table’s purpose
- Keep structure simple: Avoid spanning cells, nested tables, or overly complex layouts
Spacing
Our final vulnerability: Spacing. Master these techniques:
- Avoid single-spacing text. Spacing at 1.5 is ideal.
- Use proper paragraph breaks: Press Enter once between paragraphs rather than multiple times
- Avoid excessive line breaks and extra spaces for alignment: use Canvas’s alignment or indent tools instead. Don’t hit Enter multiple times to create visual space—this creates confusing empty elements for screen readers.
Your Challenge: Apply these skills to one document this week. Test your work with an accessibility checker:
- Canvas users: Run UDOIT3 or Yuja Panorama
- Google Docs users: Try Grackle, an add-on that checks and fixes accessibility issues in Google Docs
- Word users: Use Word’s built-in Accessibility Checker
Congrats! You’ve now equipped yourself with the knowledge to defeat the Document Structure Boss Monster! By mastering headings, fonts, lists, tables, and spacing, you’ll close one more gate to the Accessibility Upside Down.
Want to dig a little deeper into this topic with your fellow Gauchos? Join us for a Document Structure workshop tomorrow, October 23 at 1:00 PM, or on Friday, October 24 at 9:00 AM. (Sign up on the CTLE homepage.) You are also invited to stop by Accessibility Support Hours every Friday from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM!
Every document you make accessible is another victory for inclusive learning!