Tables and headers

Tables can be difficult to understand for assistive technology (like a screen reader), especially if many rows and columns exist. This is solved by using table headers, which indicate the header for each row and column. Some examples of tables with headers are at Penn State University's accessibility site.

Note: Headings (for text) and headers (for tables) sound similar. Both provide help when navigating the content.  Screen reader users can move through a web page and hear the general outline of the page as represented in the headings. Screen reader users can use table headers to understand what row and column headers are relevant to the cell their cursor is currently occupying.

How to verify

The simplest way to verify is to browse your site on staging with a browser that has the WAVE Toolbar installed. Running the "Errors, Features, and Alerts" report will show you where problems exist.

If you cannot install the WAVE Toolbar in your browser, try using the WAVE online web accessibility checker tool instead.