Spreadsheets

Photograph of an ordinary calculator.

Calculator

Applying some simple techniques and principles to your spreadsheets will have many benefits for all users including those who are blind or partially sighted. Making your spreadsheets more accessible through appropriate formatting and design will enable effective navigation via the keyboard and will encourage screen reader and screen magnification software to work as effectively as possible.

Better by design

Effective design will ensure that your spreadsheet can be accessed by as wide an audience as possible. Find out how best to structure your spreadsheets and discover a simple method for checking keyboard accessibility.

Learn about the best use of font styles, use of colour and what to avoid. Find out what simple check you can make to ensure that any symbols you use are accessible.

A word about worksheets

Discover how you can use worksheets to make your spreadsheet much more user friendly. Find out how you can set up a worksheet as an information and index page to improve navigation of your spreadsheet for everyone.

Charts and graphs

Graphical information can quickly and effectively display essential data. Find out which two basic techniques can be applied to improve the accessibility of charts and graphs in your spreadsheets.

More information about accessible spreadsheets can be found on the Excel page.

Last updated: 11 September 2009

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