Spreadsheets

Issue

Crowded data in spreadsheet cells is hard to read.

Who’s affected

People with cognitive, language and learning disabilities, some people with low vision.

WCAG Standard

Related to Guideline 11.4.8: Visual Presentation

What to do

Here are the basics:

  • Adjust column width, row height and alignment to ensure space around data
  • “Freeze” columns and rows
  • Hide unused columns and rows
  • Remove empty columns and rows

Check your work

  • Microsoft 365: has an Accessibility Checker available in its Review menu (applies to Word, Excel and PowerPoint)

Recommended tools

WebAIM guide to optimizing spreadsheets