Whether you want to display information side-by-side, break up a paragraph or conserve space in a document, it can be tempting to use a table. However, for individuals using screen readers and other read-allowed devices, tables can be challenging to navigate. Imagine closing your eyes and suddenly hearing, “Entering Row 2, Column 4, 20.” Without descriptive header row and column names, it would be very difficult to determine whether the “20” refers to the number of students, bananas, percentage points, or something else. Even with column and row headings, remembering these category names after several data points can be overwhelming. Wondering how to make the experience better? This article is designed to help you do just that!

The Purpose of Tables: Data

Tables should be reserved for organizing numerical data and showing relationships between two or more variables. In these cases, it is important to use heading rows and columns to name the categories that illustrate the relationship between data (e.g., Academic Year versus Number of Students enrolled). 

Additionally, there are two more key steps to ensure that individuals using assistive technology can understand the data without having to backtrack.

1. Add a short alt text description: Summarize the relationship between the data in one sentence or less (E.g., “Undergraduate enrollment at NC State from Fall 2022 to Fall 2025.”) As many assistive technology software read the alt text continuously without a pause option, limiting the length is key.
2. Insert a longer caption below the visual: On the other hand, captions allow you to highlight key takeaways from the data that learners should keep in mind. (E.g., “From 2022 to 2025, undergraduate enrollment has steadily grown from 24,897 to a record 26,942 students. This data shows NC State’s growing popularity among incoming students.”)

All Other Information: Goodbye, Tables!

Reading a block of text in one go is challenging, and you are right to want to spread it out! However, if you aren’t displaying data, substitute the table with one of these chunking aids:

• Bullets: Use numerical or symbol bullets to make quick key takeaways stand out from the rest of the text (as we are doing right now in this list!)
• Page Breaks: If you want to make sure that a chunk of text stays together rather than spilling over two pages, insert a page break to reduce scrolling.
• Two-Column Format: Side-by-side columns help to compare ideas, without the cumbersome structure of a table. Because screen readers announce columns in different ways, always include a navigation cue such as, “Please read the two columns below to learn about in-class discussion etiquette versus online forum etiquette.” At the same time, since reading a page from top to bottom is standard, two-column formatting should be used only when it aids understanding.