Re: Accessible tables

If you are using tables to display genuinely tabular information, as in the
example below, rather than just to lay out the page visually, you should use
TH to identify row and column headings.

(WAI priority 1 checkpoint 5.1: For data tables, identify row and column
headers).

The "scope" attribute is useful if you need to identify which table cells
the heading refers to, i.e. when the table goes beyond simple "1 heading for
each row or column" structure.

(WAI priority 1 checkpoint 5.2: For data tables that have two or more
logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells
and header cells).

For anyone using speech or braille output, tables can get pretty confusing,
since you get the content read out one cell at a time, row by row.  By the
time you get to row 5 column 4, remembering what the row and column headings
were for that cell can become difficult! :-)  Some screen readers offer the
facility for the user to trigger the screen reader to read out the headings
associated with the current table cell, but the software can only do that if
the headings are coded as headings (TH) rather than data (TD).

Of course, TH (or any of the available additional markup like "scope")
should *not* be used in any table which is being used purely for layout
purposes, since that could become even more confusing - just use it for
tables displaying tabular information.

HTH!

Regards,
Donna

----- Original Message -----
From: Emerald Spirit <emerald_spirit(at)yahoo.com>
To: <aware-techniques(at)hwg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 12:16 AM
Subject: RE: Accessible tables


> OK...
>
> I haven't looked at availability standards in a while,
> but I don't remember anything about scope.  Can
> somebody explain?  Also, I don't typically use header
> rows , just typical TR and TD and TABLE tags... are
> header rows necessary for availability standards, or
> just the preference of the HTML coder?
>
> Rebecca

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