What is Grackle Docs?
Grackle Docs is an add-on that extends the accessibility of Google Docs and Slides by automatically checking all aspects of your document and advising you how to make things better, right within the Google app. Grackle can also help you make accessible html content within Google Sheets. Faculty and students can create accessible documents with a click-and-fix guided remediation tool. Grackle helps users learn about accessibility standards as they compose, or can run Grackle after a document is created. Once a document has been checked and corrected, the document can be accessed by those who use assistive technology devices. In addition, a PDF version can be created in Slides and Docs if needed.
Add Grackle to Google Apps
Grackle is an add-on to Google Docs, Sheets and Slides that is available to CCPS staff and students. To add it, open one of those Google apps and go to the Add-ons menu item and select Get add-ons.
Type the keyword grackle and select the format for the file type you need. You may need to select the correct Grackle add-on for each file type you are checking. You may be asked to authenticate to your CCPS Google account.
The Sidebar
When the Grackle side bar opens, you should see the word Subscribed at the bottom. This means you have full functionality and unlimited use of Grackle for the year.
When you launch Grackle, it will immediately check your document for accessibility. Once analyzed, Grackle will list areas where revisions should be made. You can Re-Check your document as you go, or when you are finished.
How to Use Grackle
The video details how to use Grackle in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides and is a must view! It is about 22 minutes long but goes over all you need to know to make your Google files accessible to those who use a screen reader (such as JAWS), or may have other visual impairments or cognitive disabilities. Pay particular attention to using tables within your Google Docs.
When to Export to a PDF
Grackle Docs
When a Google Doc gets Gracked and revisions are made accordingly, that document is now accessible without further action. However, one limitation to note in Google Docs is that there is no concept of a data table. This means that a Google Doc cannot have Headers or Cells marked up within it. So IF your document contains a data table, you will want to address any corrections to the table in order to prepare it as a PDF. If the table is used only for layout purposes, that should be tagged as recommended. If you have a data table and it has been tagged properly, you will want to generate a PDF within Grackle. When you use the Generate PDF function from the Grackle add-on (not download as PDF from the file menu), the resulting PDF will have a completely accessible table in it.
Grackle Slides
Grackle can check your Google slide decks and suggest revisions to make it more accessible. You can also export the slide deck to a PDF but that feature is currently in Beta which means it is still in development so the resulting pdf may not be fully accessible.
Export to HTML
Grackle Sheets
Screen readers have a particularly difficult time reading spreadsheets so Grackle will suggest revisions to make your Google sheet more accessible. Once corrected, you can publish your sheet as an html document within Grackle Sheets which is much easier for a screen reader to access.