Microsoft Excel

Accessibility Barriers

• Graphs and charts are inaccessible to screen reader users.
• Large data sets with undefined parameters are not accessible to blind users, low vision users or users with cognitive impairments.
• External data sources may be inaccessible to screen reader users.

Best Practices

• Use clear and meaningful row and column labels.
• Create and/or provide an electronic document listing any relevant formulas and/or macros.
• Provide text-based alternatives for charts and graphical data.
• Provide descriptions of charts and graphs in the comment area.
• Highlight important cells in data sets to aid users with learning/cognitive impairments locate relevant data.
• Define the parameters for datasets (e.g., lowest and highest values, rows/columns that define the limits of the dataset).
• Use clear and specific language to identify cells, cell values, and other relevant information when presenting Excel spreadsheets and/or data.
• Use clear and specific language to describe charts and graphs.

Additional Resources

• Microsoft's tutorial on creating accessible Excel workbooks