Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Suggested Tools:

  • A11y_Checks Table Structure Bookmarklet

Key Concepts

  • Tables should be used for data presentation, not for layout
  • Data tables should include column and/or row headers
  • Table headers should be scoped to ROW or COLUMN
  • Tables should not include merged cells

Check Table Structure

For each webpage or view:

  • Visually scan any tables
    • Does a table have merged cells?
  • Run the TH/TD Overlay bookmarklet
    • Are first row cells marked TH and scoped to COL?
    • Are first column cells marked TD and scoped to ROW?

Escalate for Remediation

  • Tables with no row or header cells.
  • Tables with merged cells,
  • Tables that are nested or “stacked”.

Data Table Resources

OCR Video Series, Topic 16: Tables

WebAIM: Creating Accessible Data Tables