This document outlines how to create a screenreader accessible table in Canvas. Your instructor may ask you to contribute to a Canvas page, or post in the discussion board. It is important to keep in mind that some of your classmates may be using a screenreader to participate in the Canvas course.
Adding Scope
The scope attributes in a table helps provide context to screen readers. A scope="col" identifies the header for all the cells in that column, and cells with a scope="row" identifies the header for all the cells in that row. To add column and row scope to a table created in the Rich Content Editor, first insert a table.
- To add scope for a column, select the relevant cells of the table.
- In the Table Menu, select Cell properties (See Figure 1).
Figure 1: Cell properties option in table menu - Set the Cell type to Header cell (See Figure 2).
- Set Scope to Column (See Figure 2).
Figure 2: Setting the cell properties for a column - To set scope for a row, repeat steps 1-3.
- Set Scope to Row (See Figure 3).
Figure 3: Setting the cell properties for a row
Captions
A caption can be used to associate a short description to the table. Captions are not required, but they may be helpful in providing additional context. Captions provide more context to tables and appear in a row above your table's content. Keep captions clear and concise.
- To add a caption to your table, select all of the cells.
- In the Table Menu, select Table properties.
- Select the box next to Caption (See Figure 4).
Figure 4: Turning on captions in table properties - Type in the caption (See Figure 5)
Figure 5: Caption in a table header row
Modified on: Fri, Jan 5, 2024 at 2:22 PM
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