Microsoft Excel - Are you Using the Accessibility Checker?

Can everyone, including those with impairments, effortlessly read and understand your communication?

Emails, your website, documents, presentations, and files are a few examples.

Can everyone, including those with impairments, effortlessly read and understand your communication? That is what I mean when I use the term "accessible."

Whether you work as a professional assistant for an organization or as a freelance assistant for clients, it is important to think about this.

If a company or business is not giving this consideration, you could be someone who raises it as part of encouraging and promoting inclusivity.

You might have seen that Microsoft has added a feature to its Microsoft 365 programs, which include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Meet the 'Accessibility Checker'...

For instance, Excel has it under the Review tab.

When you select "Check Accessibility," a sidebar in the program will appear with suggestions for improving the accessibility of your content.

When your copy of Excel is kept up to date, you will find that there is an Accessibility Ribbon that opens when you click on Check Accessibility.

It means you can create a spreadsheet and check the content, layout and design before sending to someone. Or you could choose to send a ‘standard’ spreadsheet and an alternative one.

Make simple improvements

A friend of mine spent some time working with an advocacy charity supporting adults with learning disabilities.

He said part of the role involved helping members to educate leaders in local government, health, employment and education about ‘Easy Read’ communication.

This meant encouraging people to:

Avoid jargon
Use simple words instead of long or complicated ones
Use simple images to illustrate words
Speak slowly and clearly
Let people see your face when speaking (some read your lips)

Some of these suggestions can be used in your Excel spreadsheets. Regardless of your audience, keeping things straightforward is a good idea.

Those who have the Accessibility Ribbon will discover some helpful resources.

This tool allows you to annotate charts and images with descriptive names and alternative text. You might think about unmerging cells to give your data presentation a clear framework. Colour contrast problems can also be resolved.

Microsoft offers Excel accessibility tips

One of Microsoft's top priorities, according to the company, is making sure its products are inclusive and accessible.

Users of Microsoft 365 are being urged to offer input so that it can continue to advance on both of those fronts.

Microsoft offers some tips about how to make your Excel documents more accessible, both for Windows and for Mac.

It has certainly got me thinking about my own content and how it’s set out.

I spend a lot of time and effort making my online Excel courses simple to follow.

I have a step-by-step breakdown for every task I demonstrate in my training videos. This means that individuals can see where I am pointing or clicking on the screen in addition to following my voice.

Every lesson has two versions, one without captions and one with captions – taking into account that you may be in a noisy environment or have a hearing impairment.

It is like to having someone by your side to help you navigate it. There is no nonsense. Simple, well-paced instruction only. Additionally, I am visible in the videos in a tiny box in the corner so that learners can see me guiding them through the open application as well.

What are you doing to improve the clarity of your communications?

Does your target audience consist of individuals who need information in an accessible format?

Let me know how it is working for you.

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Categories: Blog, Microsoft Excel