Tables 

Overview

Accessible tables help people using screen readers or keyboard navigation understand data accurately. Without clear structure, a screen reader can’t tell what each cell means, leading to confusion or misinformation.

✅Checklist for Tables

1. Table is used for data, not layout

2. Used actual Insert Table tool (not tabs/spaces)

3. Table has clear column headers

4. Top row is marked or formatted as a header

5. Always use the built-in table tools to define captions and headers—not just bold text.

6. No merged or split cells used unnecessarily

7. Table includes Alt Text or summary where possible

8. Data is presented clearly without relying only on color

What Does It Mean to "Use Tables for Page Layout"?

Using tables for page layout means you're inserting a table not to display data, but to control where content sits on the page, like:

• Putting an image in one cell and text in another

• Forcing alignment or spacing using rows and columns

• Using blank cells to create visual white space or padding

This practice is bad for accessibility because it misreads screen readers, breaks keyboard navigation, and can be inflexible in mobile devices. Instead, use paragraph alignment, columns, or text boxes if you're formatting text and images. Use tools designed for layout (e.g., styles, grids, sections) — not tables.

Contact TLT for help! We can help with Design Plus to convert tables to  columns.

Understanding Captions and Headers in Tables.

Captions

In the context of tables, "captions" can be considered a title. It's a short description of the table’s purpose or content that helps users quickly understand what the table is about without having to scan all the rows and columns.

Example: “Quarterly Sales by Region, 2025.” 

*We recommend using the Canvas table properties tool to show the caption of the table on the page as well. See below. 

Headers

Headers are the labels for rows and columns and identify what each row and column represents, so users know how to interpret the data. In Canvas, you need to define every column and/or row that is serving as a header. 

Site Scanning Tools: UDOIT & Ally Course Accessibility Report

About: Entire site scans are great for a comprehensive look at all the issues on your site and track your improvements through the scores generated. One recommended strategy is to choose one of the accessibility core areas and use the tools' filters to target a selected one of them at a time. These tool are accessed by clicking the link on your course navigation menu. If not present, this article will show you how to enable: Manage Course Navigation Links.

Selected Content in Canvas Edit Mode: Ally, Canvas, and DesignPLUS Accessibility Checkers

About: These three tools to do scans, not of an entire course, but on individual items of Canvas content such a page, assignment description, announcement, etc. They can be accessed anytime you are in Canvas Edit mode. Many users find these tools useful for quick clean ups of selected content and in tandem with site scanning tools. Making a habit of using these to check and fix content every time you're working in Canvas will go a long way in the ultimate goal of creating content that's accessible for all from the start! 

1: Ally Accessibility Checker

WebPage:(Vendor) Ally WYSIWYG Accessibility

2: Canvas Accessibility Checker

Video (2:25, Pope Tech) Canvas's built-in Accessibility Checker demo *Includes great demo of fixing color contrast.

Webpages:
(Vendor): How do I use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor?
(UW IT) Overview: Accessibility tools in Canvas *Page has a section on this as well as other tools for accessibility in Canvas.