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Web Accessibility: If you use tables
View an accessible page using tables
View an inaccessible page using tables
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If you use tables for layout, be sure that reading the material left to
right, row by row makes sense. Screen readers can't decipher the meaning
behind a particular layout. Though white space separates columns of text
to viewers, a screen reader reads the first line of each column followed
by the second line of each column, without regard for the carefully structured
layout.
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Because screen readers read left to right, one line at a time, complex
table structures can make a page very difficult for a screen reader to
read. Consider providing a text link to a table summary or description
of the table's contents and purpose. The LONGDESC attribute, part of HTML
4.0, allows you to link to a longer description.
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Table markup tags, such as the <TH> header tag, are often used for layout.
Even though a designer may use it to center one item in a single cell,
the <TH> tag is interpreted as a column heading by a screen reader,
and will be audibly attached to other items in the column.
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If the table contains data in rows and columns as in a spreadsheet, associate
header information with the "headers" attribute. The "headers" attribute
specifies a list of header cells (row and column labels) associated with
the current data cell. This requires each header cell to have an "id".
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Check accessibility by viewing your page in multiple browsers and platforms,
then verify it with tools like CAST's on-line BOBBY
verification tool.
Read the relevant W3C guideline -- 5.1
5.2
Return to the checklist
Adapted with permission from web accessibility pages at Penn State
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