Working with Tables
A table is row and column matric of cells that can contain both text, images and other objects. While the main purpose of tables is to present data in a grid format, they can also be used to control the layout of content on a page.
Most screen readers used by blind people have the capability of reading tables within MS Word. The reading order of tables is linear starting from the top left cell to the bottom right cell. The contents of each cell, including nested cells, are read before moving to the next cell.
For data tables it is important to identify the column and row header cells so that screen readers can easily associate the cell content with their headers. In MS Word the first row and first column are considered as header cells.
Good Accessibility Practices for Tables
- Keep tables simple with minimal nesting
- Avoid complex nested tables with with multiple split and merged cells
- Avoid spliting or merging cells after data has been entered, as this can confuse the reading order of the cells
- Use percentage rather than pixels to set table and cell size. This will allow the table to resize gracefully
- Keep heading labels short and descriptive. Use comments if they need longer explainations
- Add captions before the table to provide information about the table
Create a Table
- Select Table from Menu Bar [Alt A]
- Select Insert [I}]
- Select Table [T]; Enter the number of columns, tab and enter number rows
- Select OK button
- Word will automatically add a new row when the Tab key is pressed on the last cell
Set Table Size
Use percentage rather than pixels to set table and cell size.
- Select Table from Menu Bar selected Preperties [Alt A, R]
- Select Table tab [T]and set Preferred width measured in "percentage [M]
- Select Cell tab [C] and set Preferred width measured in "percentage [M]
- Select OK
