Spreadsheets

Displaying data accessibly

This information refers to Microsoft Excel and instructions may relate to specific versions. The same principles apply to other software packages.

Layout

Create spreadsheet and table layouts which screen readers can navigate:

align data to top left of the worksheet area
remove unnecessary breaks
make column and row titles clear and concise
do not use abbreviated headings.

Cells

Insert comments to point screen reader users towards specific coordinates. For example, cell A2 may be used to contain a text description such as, ‘Table 1 starts at cell A4, notes are at A44, Table 2 is on worksheet 2'.

Worksheets

Put each new table on a separate worksheet. It is easier to navigate and understand a table when there is only one data area per sheet. Tables that are positioned away from the top left edges can be impossible to find using screen reader access.

Column and row headings

Make sure your headings are consistently formatted. Screen reader programmes can be set to read column and row title headings automatically as the user navigates through a table using the arrow key.

Column and row titles

Define row and column titles:

click on the first cell in the column or row containing the titles - if the spreadsheet contains both row and column titles, click on the cell where they intersect
from the Insert menu, select Name and then Define
if the column contains only row titles, type ‘RowTitle'
If the row contains only column titles, type ‘ColumnTitle’
If is an intersection between row and column titles, type ‘Title'.

Headers and footers

Avoid using headers and footers. People who access a spreadsheet electronically may not be able to read them. If you include any, you will need to duplicate any important information in the main body of the spreadsheet.

Cell contents

Format cells so that all text is visible to help visual users. Change the dimensions of the cell and choose the ‘wrap text’ option: Format > Cells > Alignment > Wrap text.

Font colour

Set font colour to auto. Do not use black. People who set their screen displays to reverse out will not see any text if the font colour is set to black, because this will result in black text on a black background.

Highlighting cells

Visual effects such as cell patterning and colour are generally not spoken by screen reader programmes but may communicate essential information. If you use colour to highlight a cell, use a text character as well. For example, if you format a cell in red, place an asterisk in that cell prior to any data.

Graphics

Pictures, flow diagrams, bar charts, pie charts, drawings and maps cannot be spoken by screen reader programmes, or converted by Braille translation software.

Put graphics in a separate worksheet.
Include a comment cell to signpost users to the worksheet containing the graphics.
Include a concise text description of graphics and images which convey important information.
Put text description of graphics at the top left edge of the worksheet containing them.
Avoid using floating graphics - speech software users cannot read the contents of a cell if there is a floating graphic obscuring it.

Filename

Use clear, descriptive file names. For example, ‘BudgetReportMarch08.xls' makes sense, unlike ‘budrepmar08.xls'. Capitalising each letter of the filename prevents screen reader programs from saying the file name as a single word.

Filters and frozen panes

If you save and send the spreadsheet with a filter on, or with a pane frozen, the recipient may not realise not all the data is showing.

Speech reader users are likely to be unaware that a filter is active. Leave filters off to prevent these users from missing information. If you must leave a filter on or freeze a pane, include instructions on which menu option to use to switch the filter off or unfreeze the pane.

Empty sheets

Delete empty worksheets. It is not obvious to speech software users that a sheet is empty.

Cursor position

Position the cursor where you want recipients to start reading when they first open the spreadsheet, as Excel saves the cursor position when you save and close the file. For example, leave the cursor in cell A1, or a ‘signpost' cell.