SAMHSA's Section 508 Resources

Tables FAQs

Tables and 508 Compliance - Row and column headers shall be identified for data tables.

Why are Tables Rows and Columns Necessary?

Section 508 permits the use of tables, but requires that the tables are setup properly with rows, columns and headers. Large tables of data can be difficult to interpret if a person is using a non-visual means of accessing the web. Users of screen readers can easily get "lost" inside a table because it may be impossible to associate a particular cell that a screen reader is reading with the corresponding column headings and row names.

Let's briefly review of a typical table. In this example, we are tracking the work schedule of three employees at the Rego General Store.

ROWS - Rows are the horizontal cells of a table

Name	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
Dawn	9-5	9-5	9-5	9-5
Scott	10-6	11-7	10-6	9-5
Sue	9-5	10-6	9-5	11-7

COLUMNS – Columns are the vertical cells of a table

Name	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
Dawn	9-5	9-5	9-5	9-5
Scott	10-6	11-7	10-6	9-5
Sue	9-5	10-6	9-5	11-7

Because screen readers read one cell at a time and it is difficult for the impaired user to get an overview of the table and its contents, it is imperative that table data cells are associated with column headers. Assistive technology allows users to navigate among table cells and access header and other table cell information. Unless setup properly, these tables will not provide the assistive technology with the appropriate information.

Section 1194.22 (g) and (h) state that when information is displayed in a table format, the information shall be laid out using appropriate table properties. MS Word users are required to create an association between a Table header and its related information.

Click here to view samples of Table code in HTML.

Creating Table Headers in MS Word

To create a table header for the table below, you must first ensure that the repeating column information is in the FIRST row of the table. In the example below, the days of the week are the repeating column information and they are setup in the first row of the table.

Once we have setup our header row, we must tag it as a header row using Table Properties. To do this:

1. Highlight the first row of the table.

Name	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
Betty	9-5	9-5	9-5	9-5
Fred	10-6	9-5	10-6	9-5
Chris	9-5	11-7	9-5	11-7

2. Once highlighted, click the right mouse button and select TABLE PROPERIES. The properties box pops up on your screen. Select the ROW tab and check the box for “Repeat as Header Row at top of each page”. This will designate the top row of your table as a Header Row.

Unfortunately, there is no way (yet) to designate a repeating column in WORD.

Creating Table Headers in Adobe Acrobat

ACROBAT however, does have a way to designate the repeating column and rows in PDF. Please see HHS's explanation at http://www.hhs.gov/web/policies/pdfaccessibility/step4.html#tab