Quick Start Workshop: Make Your Google Documents Accessible

Get up to speed quickly on creating accessible documents, presentations, and spreadsheets natively in the Google Workspace. In this hands-on workshop, you'll practice accessible authoring methods natively in Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets before using Grackle Suite to evaluate and remediate common Google document accessibility barriers. We will also reserve time to discuss accessibility best practices and challenges when collaborating in Google Workspace.

You'll learn how to:

• Apply accessibility best practices for authoring natively in Docs, Slides, and Sheets.
• Configure essential accessibility settings (such as enabling native screen reader support).
• Work around platform limitations, such as embedded chart alt text bugs.
• Use Grackle Suite (Grackle Docs, Slides, and Sheets) to evaluate files and resolve accessibility issues.
• Export tagged PDFs and HTML using Grackle’s export and HTML workflows.
• Incorporate accessibility best practices in Google collaborative editing environments.

Before you know it, you'll be on your way to creating inclusive Google Workspace content and meeting University and Federal accessibility standards.

Important: To participate actively in this hands-on workshop, please ensure you are logged into your official Illinois Google Apps account (@illinois.edu). Grackle Suite should already be automatically installed and available under the Extensions menu for all active faculty, staff, and students. For more detailed instructions, see the Make Your Course Accessible page on How to Access Grackle at Illinois.