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Electronic information accessibility tips, tricks and trainings. March 2020, Issue XV
Accessible Remote Meetings
Editor's note: This article appeared the March edition of Digital Accessibility News from MNIT's Office of Accessibility. You are welcome to subscribe.
Many employers are shifting to teleworking or holding remote meetings. Following accessibility best practices isn’t just about including people with disabilities – it’s about ensuring that everyone can participate equally in the meeting.
So what do you do to ensure effective and inclusive remote meetings?
First, take a deep breath. This information is familiar for those already adding digital accessibility practices into workflows.
Second, take a few minutes to plan. Review the basic tips and links we provide below to plan for inclusive meetings.
Note: online meetings are different than broadcasts. This article covers online meetings. Broadcasts happen when you are in one location broadcasting to many people, and attendees only participate through online questions and answer.
We will walk you through the planning process as you:
- select your tools/meeting software
- plan materials to be shared, how attendees will participate
- assign roles
- send invitations and materials
- and think about captions
so you can have digitally Accessible Remote Meetings.
 The Heroic Header Row
All tables need the header row identified.
When looking at a table, it's easy to see what row or column the data falls into along with its header title. But if you can't see the table, this gets more difficult. By identifying a header row, a screen reader will read the data cell with the associated header cells, putting everything into context.
| Type of Pie |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
| Apple |
5 |
7 |
10 |
7 |
| Pecan |
6 |
9 |
10 |
2 |
For example, if you read the second row of the table above with a screen reader, you will hear:
- With header row identified: Type of Pie Apple, Thursday 5, Friday 7, Saturday 10, Sunday 7
- Without the header row identified: Apple, 5, 7, 10, 7
Especially for larger or more complex tables, it's easy to get lost without a reference point. But a marked header row saves the day!
How to identify table header rows in Word
Option 1
- Highlight the header row.
- Right-click and select "Table Properties" (Alt+J+L+O).
- Select the "Row" tab and check the box labeled "Repeat as header row at the top of each page."
 Option 2
- Highlight the header row.
- Select the "Layout" tab on the "Table Tools" tab.
- Select the "Repeat Header Rows" button.
 An Error By Any Other Name
The Accessibility Checker in Word, PowerPoint and Excel divides its results into three categories: error, warning and tip. So, what's the difference?
When Microsoft created the Accessibility Checker it decided to categorize the findings by the level of difficulty it could cause for people with disabilities. Errors create the most severe problems. Tips the least severe.
Errors
Content that makes the document difficult or impossible to read and understand for people with disabilities.
Examples: Do images have alt text? Do tables have header rows?
Warnings
Content that in most (but not all) cases makes the document difficult to understand for people with disabilities.
Examples: Do tables have merged or split cells? Do Excel sheet tabs have meaningful names?
Tips
Content that people with disabilities can understand but that could be presented in a different way to improve the user’s experience.
Examples: Are PowerPoint slide titles unique? Did you skip a heading level?
Yes, everything the Accessibility Checker flags needs to be addressed no matter what category it falls in. In many ways, the level of severity is arbitrary. Is a document really accessible if it’s a pain to get through?
Accessibility Checker Tips
- If you select the issue in the Inspection Results box, it will highlight the problem area in the document.
- At the bottom of the Inspection Results box is a section called Additional Information. It explains the issue and how to fix it.
- The check reading order message will not disappear after you've checked the reading order. This is something that needs to be done manually so the computer has no way of knowing if you've done it or not.
- The Accessibility Checker will not check for nor catch every issue. Full accessibility requires the human touch. A document that passes the checker may still be unusable by people with disabilities. Do not rely only on the checker.
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Resources
Upcoming Classroom Trainings
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CANCELLED Adobe PDF Accessibility Intro - Fri, April 17 in New Ulm
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CANCELLED Adobe PDF Accessibility Intro - Fri, May 1 in St. Paul
Trainings will be rescheduled for a later date.
Electronic Information Accessibility Intranet Page
Go-to location for resources, guidance and information.
Designees
Need assistance? Contact your Division Electronic Information Accessibility (EIA) Designee.
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