Grackle for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides

Document title is required 

Your document title typically defaults to the Google Doc name, but you can confirm and edit your document title if needed. 

1. Open Grackle Docs. 
2. Select Document title is required.
3. Select Edit or check Use the Google Doc name.

Document language should be specified 

Your document’s language will most likely be predetermined. If you need to change your document’s language: 

1. Select File in the top menu. 
2. Select Language.
3. Choose your desired language from the list.

Images and Drawings should have alternative text or mark as artifact 

1. Select the image that is being flagged. 
2. Select Image Options. 
3. Select Alt Text.
4. Enter your alt text into the Description text field. 

Equations should be described 

Mathematical equations in Google Docs are not fully accessible and need alt text added. 

1. Open Grackle Docs.
2. Select Equations should be described.
3. Select TAG. 
4. Add accurate alt text in the description box. 

Headings should be used 

If text is visually a heading, it must also have a programmatic heading. 

To add a heading: 

1. Select the text you want to make a heading.
2. Select the Styles dropdown in the toolbar.
3. Select a heading level. 

A single “Heading 1” should be used 

Each document should have at least one “Heading 1”. 

1. Select the text you want to make the Heading 1. 
2. Select the Styles dropdown in the toolbar. 
3. Select Heading 1. 

Headings must be properly nested 

Use heading levels in order and do not skip heading levels. 

Example of a correct heading structure: 

Heading 1: Main title 

      Heading 2: Subheading 

             Heading 3: Sub subheading

             Heading 3: Sub subheading 

      Heading 2: Subheading

To change a heading tag: 

1. Select the text you want to make a heading.
2. Select the Styles dropdown in the toolbar.
3. Select your desired heading level. 

Tables must be tagged or marked as layout tables 

It is best practice to only use tables for tabular data, not for page layout. 

To tag a table: 

1. Open Grackle Docs.
2. Select Tables must be tagged or marked as layout tables.
3. Select TAG. 
4. In the pop-up window, mark header and column rows appropriately, or mark the table as a layout table. 
5. Select Update.

The use of merged cells is not recommended 

Make sure that you don’t have any merged cells in your table. Merged cells make it more difficult to interpret information.

The use of empty cells is not recommended 

Make sure that all of your table cells have content. Empty cells can make tables more difficult to navigate and interpret data. 

Headers and footers should be used 

You can add your document’s title to the header and additional content (like page numbers or update dates) to the footer of your document. Headers and footers are not required to make a document fully accessible but you may see a “Pass with warning” in the Grackle interface. 

Lists should be used where appropriate

Unordered lists (typically seen as bullet-point lists) should have an “unordered list” tag applied.

Order lists (typically seen as numbered lists) should have an “ordered list” tag applied. 

Tag lists by: 

1. Select the text you want in your list. 
2. In the toolbar, select Bulleted list or Numbered list.

Documents should not contain unsupported contents 

"Unsupported contents" are things that Google Docs doesn’t understand or can’t show properly. If you import a document with these elements, they might not appear correctly or could be removed. 

Some examples of unsupported content are custom fonts or specialized styling from Microsoft products.

These will need to be removed or edited in your Google Doc. 

High color contrast should be used 

To meet WCAG 2.1 AA requirements:

• Large text must have 3:1 contrast (text to background)

• Small text must meet 4.5:1 contrast (text to background) 

Fine print should be avoided 

Use easy to read sans serif fonts, such as Arial, Calibri, Verdana etc. Make sure your font size is at least 12 points.

All-caps styling should be avoided 

Content written in all-capitalized letters can be hard for some people to read and interpret. Re-write your content to use both uppercase and lowercase letters. 

Adjusted alignment not suggested for non-heading text 

It's best practice to keep body text left-aligned. Left alignment makes text easier to read and keeps the document looking neat, while other alignments can make it harder to follow and less professional. Save center or right alignment for headings or special sections.

1. Select the text you want to realign.
2. Select Align & indent in the toolbar and select Left align. 

Lengthy paragraphs should be avoided 

Long paragraphs may look like a “wall of text” for users. This type of content is harder to read and harder to understand. Consider adding breaks in your paragraph and making sure you are writing in plain language. 

Links should be informative

Informative links make it very clear to users what will happen if they select a link. 

URL’s or unclear language like “More” or “Click Here” makes it difficult and confusing for some users to navigate your content. 

Sheets document needs a proper title 

Your document title typically defaults to the Google Sheet name, but you can confirm and edit your document title if needed. 

1. Open your Google Sheet.
2. Select the title at the top of the page and add your new document name

Sheet names should be descriptive 

Each individual sheet in your Google Sheet should have a unique name. This makes it easier for folks to navigate your document and understand its context. 

Avoid the default “Sheet1” that pre-populates when you create a new sheet. 

To rename an individual sheet: 

1. Select the downward carrot on the sheet that you would like to rename. 
2. Select Rename. Give your sheet a descriptive and unique name. 

The number of sheets should be reasonable 

Try to keep the number of individual sheets in your Google Sheets document under 50. 

Avoid making sheets too large 

If you have too much information on an individual sheet, it may make it more difficult to navigate and understand. Consider breaking the information into different, smaller sheets. 

Sheets should not be empty 

Each sheet in your Google Sheets document should have some content. Empty sheets could be confusing or disorienting for some users.  

Tables should have headers 

To add a header row or column to your table, you will need to:

1. Add your header row or column information. 
2. In the top toolbar, select View. 
3. Select Freeze. 
4. From the pop-out menu, select which rows or columns you would like to "freeze". Freezing rows will programmatically add table headers. 

As an alternative, you can also add pre-built tables. 

1. In the top toolbar, select Insert.
2. Select Tables.
3. In the sidebar menu, add a new table that matches your data needs. These tables already have headings added. 

The number of tables should be reasonable

It is best practice to have one table on each sheet in your document. This makes it easier for users to find and understand your data. 

The use of merged cells is not recommended 

Make sure that you don’t have any merged cells in your table. Merged cells make it more difficult to interpret information.

Avoid isolated cells 

Data cells that are separated from the rest of your content can be difficult (or impossible!) for some users to find. Avoid adding content that is separated in your sheets. 

Charts should have alternative text 

Like all important images, charts must have a text description. To add alt text: 

1. Select your chart or graphic that does not have a text description. 
2. Select the three vertical dots in the upper right corner. 
3. Select Alt Text. 
4. In the pop-up sidebar menu, add your text description. 

High color contrast should be used 

To meet WCAG 2.1 AA requirements:

• Large text must have 3:1 contrast (text to background)

• Small text must meet 4.5:1 contrast (text to background) 

Fine print should be avoided 

Use easy to read sans serif fonts, such as Arial, Calibri, Verdana etc. Make sure your font size is at least 12 points.

Presentation title is required

Your presentation title typically defaults to the Google Slides name, but you can confirm and edit your presentation title if needed. 

1. Open Grackle Slides.
2. Select Presentation title is required.
3. Select Edit Title.

Document language should be specified 

Your document’s language will most likely be predetermined. If you need to change your document’s language: 

1. Select File in the top menu.
2. Select Language.
3. Choose your desired language from the list.

A slide should have a title 

If your slide does not have a title element, you will need to add one. 

1. Right-click the slide that does not have a title. 
2. Select Apply Layout.
3. Select a layout with a "Title" element. Some examples include “Title Slide”, “Title and Body”, “Title and Two Columns”, “Title Only”, and “Title and Content”. 

Note: You may need to reformat your slide to accommodate the new Title element. 

Slide title should be unique

Having unique slide titles makes it easier for folks to navigate your content. Make sure each slide title is different. 

A slide should not be empty 

Empty slides can make it more difficult for some users to navigate your content. Make sure that each slide in your presentation has content. 

Tables should be tagged and described

Google Slides does not have a mechanism to add columns or row headers to a table, so these must be added with Grackle Slides. 

It is best practice to only use tables for tabular data, not for page layout. 

To tag a table: 

1. Open Grackle Slides.
2. Select Tables should be tagged and described.
3. Select TAG.
4. In the pop-up window, mark header and column rows appropriately, or mark the table as a layout table. 
5. Select Update. 

The use of merged cells is not recommended 

Make sure that you don’t have any merged cells in your table. Merged cells make it more difficult to interpret information.

The use of empty cells is not recommended

Make sure that all of your table cells have content. Empty cells can make tables more difficult to navigate and interpret data. 

Images should have alternative text 

Images that provide meaning must have alt text. You can add alt text by: 

1. Select the image that is being flagged. 
2. Select Image Options. 
3. Select Alt Text.
4. Enter your alt text into the Description text field. 

Elements should have alternative text 

Images that provide meaning must have alt text. You can add alt text by: 

1. Select the image that is being flagged. 
2. Select Image Options. 
3. Select Alt Text.
4. Enter your alt text into the Description text field. 

Text boxes should not be empty 

Sometimes extra text boxes are left in a presentation on accident. Make sure to remove any text boxes that do not have content. 

Lists should not be broken apart 

Unordered lists (typically seen as bullet-point lists) should have an “unordered list” tag applied.

Order lists (typically seen as numbered lists) should have an “ordered list” tag applied. 

Tag lists by: 

1. Select the text you want in your list. 
2. In the toolbar, select Bulleted list or Numbered list.

If a list is broken apart, you will need to reformat your list to recombine it. 

Fine print should be avoided 

Use easy to read sans serif fonts, such as Arial, Calibri, Verdana etc. Make sure your font size is at least 24 points (or, better yet, 28 points).

High color contrast should be used 

To meet WCAG 2.1 AA requirements:

• Large text must have 3:1 contrast (text to background)

• Small text must meet 4.5:1 contrast (text to background) 

In-line style changes may lack clear meaning 

If you are styling your text to add meaning, you can add alt text by: 

1. Open Grackle Slides.  
2. Select In-line style changes may lack clear meaning.
3. Select +TAG.
4. In the pop-up window, add alternative text in the description text box, or select Mark as artifact. 

Empty trailing lines could be removed 

“Trailing lines” are extra text lines that appear after your written content. These are typically added on accident when content authors are editing text. 

You can remove them by: 

1. Select Empty trailing lines could be removed
2. Select Paragraph. Grackle will direct you to the text box with an empty trailing line. 
3. Select the textbox with the empty trailing line. 
4. Backspace until the empty trailing line has been removed.