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Re: Guidelines for tables in Word

for

From: Jim Allan
Date: May 22, 2013 4:08PM

Hi Jay,
some of these were new to me. So I had to test.
comments inline...


On Tue, May 21, 2013 at 2:50 PM, Wyant, Jay (MNIT) < <EMAIL REMOVED> >wrote:

> Folks,
>
> Just to give you a quick break from web-based issues, here's a question re
> accessible Word documents: What steps would you deem essential to creating
> accessible tables in Word? There are many possible steps (see the list,
> below), but which are essential? (References are for Word 2010)
>
>
> - Assign a header row (table tools ribbon)
> - Assign first column (table tools ribbon)
> - "Repeat as header row at the top of each page" (via Table Properties,
> Row tab)
> - Alt text (via Table Properties, Alt text tab)
>

jim: the Alt is not spoken in word table by JAWS (at least with any method
that I know of). When converted to html the Word Alt becomes the ‘title’
not the summary, and is generally not spoken by JAWS. However, DESCRIPTION
becomes the table summary attribute in HTML conversion, and would be usful
to document creators to use. Alas, description is not spoken by JAWS in
Word or PDF
.


- Bookmark (via Insert ribbon, links tab)
>

Jim: this is a JAWS only hack and must be done properly or there is no
benefit to the JAWS user. see Bookmarks in tables -
http://www.ehealth.va.gov/508/tutorials/word/7bookmarks_1.asp

. Bookmarks do nothing with JAWS in PDF that I can find.

- Caption (References ribbon, Captions tab)
>

Jim: useful visually, not passed on to JAWS when you get a list of Tables
(insert-ctrl-t), conversion to HTML results in a paragraph marked with
class=MSOCaption. It appears as a separate line in PDF unrelated to the
table.

One day conversions will make more sense.

I am going to amend the rules for table to include

- Assign a header row (table tools ribbon)
- Assign first column (table tools ribbon)
- "Repeat as header row at the top of each page" (via Table Properties, Row
tab)
- Description text (via Table Properties, Alt text tab)
- Bookmark (via Insert ribbon, links tab)
- Caption (References ribbon, Captions tab)



A group of state agencies in Texas created the Productivity Toolbar for
Word 2010, that takes the most used and accessible Ribbon items and puts
them all on 1 ribbon. We also created youtube videos and associated
documentation. All available free at
http://governor.state.tx.us/disabilities/accessibledocs/

we called it the Productivity Toolbar because Accessibility Toolbar is
available for the creation of DAISY books, and whichever is installed last
will overwrite the previous one if they have the same name. The other
reason was political/social. Accessibility at times gets a bad rap from
folks who don't do it all the time, an you get resistance and pushback as
to its use. So we called it the Productivity Toolbar...you don't have to
hunt for all the different tools, etc. And everything on the toolbar
creates for facilitates the creation of accessible Word content. It has
been installed on all computers in several large agencies.

Jim


> Thanks,
>
> Jay
> JAY WYANT | CHIEF INFORMATION ACCESSIBILITY OFFICER
> MN.IT SERVICES, CENTRAL
> 651.201.1001 (w) | 612.825.8285 (m) | <EMAIL REMOVED>
>
> Information Technology for Minnesota Government | mn.gov/oet
>
> Learn: http://mn.gov/oet/governance/for-agencies/accessibility/
>
>
>
>
> > > >



--
Jim Allan, Accessibility Coordinator & Webmaster
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St., Austin, Texas 78756
voice 512.206.9315 fax: 512.206.9264 http://www.tsbvi.edu/
"We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us." McLuhan, 1964