Tables are powerful tools for organizing and presenting data, but without proper structure and formatting, they can pose significant barriers to people with disabilities.
Why?
Accessible tables ensure that all users, including those using screen readers or keyboard navigation, can understand and interact with the information.
How?
In addition to the General Principles of Table Accessibility, follow these best practices for creating accessible tables in D2L Brightspace.
- Use the HTML editor’s table tool. Insert tables using the editor, not by pasting images of tables.
- Provide table summaries. Add a brief description of the table’s contents before the table to share the table’s purpose and contents.
- Test with D2L’s accessibility checker. D2L offers an accessibility checker in the HTML editor to identify and help resolve potential issues.
- Use D2L’s Repair Tool to Provide a Caption. Add a caption for the table in the “Provide Caption” field and select “Repair”
- Use D2L’s Repair Tool to Set the Headers. Depending on whether the table uses the first row or first column for data identifiers, select header row or header column and select “Repair”
- Adjust HTML source code if needed. D2L’s rich text editor allows for manual manipulation of any HTML tags needed to further accessibility based on the table’s complexity.
Learn more
Find Authoring Guides from Section 508.
Learn more specific details about creating accessible tables in:
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act:Â All Minnesota State employee electronic documents and course materials must adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards by April 24, 2026. These guidelines provide a comprehensive framework to ensure that content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for all users.
