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Introduction

Creating accessible content supports learner variability and provides access to individuals with disabilities. Virginia Tech recommends our community members check the accessibility of teaching materials to make sure they comply with VT Policy 7215 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Grackle is an accessibility checker for Google Workspace applications. Use Grackle to:

Check learning material accessibility against standard and guidelines.
- WCAG 2.0
- Google's accessibility guidelines
- PDF/UA standard
Export Google Workspace documents as accessible PDFs.

How Grackle Works
Scanning a Document
Viewing Scan Results
- Scan Categories
- Feedback Types
Making Corrections
Exporting Documents as Accessible PDFs
Resources
Getting Help

Instructions

How Grackle works

Grackle is a Google Workspace add-on that scans your Google Doc, Sheet, or Slide for accessibility. To scan a document, launch Grackle from within the document. Grackle categorizes accessibility results by document component, for example headings in a Google Doc or Sheets in a Google Sheet. Each category will list elements that are evaluated for accessibility. For inaccessible elements, Grackle details the problem and suggests changes. After you make the changes, share the Google document with students or use Grackle to export it as document as an accessible PDF you can post on Canvas.

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Scanning a Document

You don't need to download or install Grackle! It's available online to Virginia Tech community members through your Virginia Tech Google account.
The following instructions use Grackle Docs as an example; they also apply to Grackle Sheets and Slides.

Log into Your Virginia Tech Google account.
1. Go to https://www.google.com/, click Sign in, and enter your VT email address.
2. Sign in with your PID and PID passphrase.
Open a Google Doc (or Slide or Sheet; it works the same way).
On the toolbar, click Extensions → Grackle Docs → Launch.
Click OK.
You may be asked to sign into your Virginia Tech Google account again.
Click Allow for Grackle to run in your Google Doc.
Grackle will scan your document for accessibility.

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Viewing Scan Results

Scan categories

After scanning a document, Grackle will categorize accessibility feedback depending on the document type and component.

Google Docs (uses Grackle Docs):
- Document
- Images
- Headings
- Tables
- Landmarks
- Content
Google Sheets and Slides (Use Grackle Sheets and Grackle Slides respectively):
- Sheets
- Tables
- Charts
- Content

These instructions are for Grackle Docs, but they also apply to Grackle Sheets and Slides.

Feedback Types

Feedback is marked by category as:

No elements in the category have what's required for accessibility. Below, no images in the document have Alt Text.
Some elements in the category have what's required for accessibility. Below, headings are not used consistently throughout the document.
All elements in the category have what's required for accessibility. Below, all the images have Alt Text.

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Making Corrections

General Procedure

Go to any category with elements that are not accessible or not completely accessible, shown by a red circle.
Click a problematic element to show details about its accessibility.
Click Locate to go to the content in the document, which will be highlighted. Make suggested corrections.
Click Re-Check at the top of the Grackle ribbon to scan the document again.

Add Image Descriptions (Alt Text)

The most common accessibility problem is a lack of equivalent written content for images. Image descriptions are read aloud for those with visual impairments and are displayed when a slow connection prevents an image from loading. Alt Text should be:

Accurate and equivalent. Include the same content and function as the image.
Brief and precise. Usually only a few words are necessary.
You do not need Alt Text for decorative images, logos, and graphic elements.

Engage the reader:

Ask yourself who is the target audience, what is their reading level, and how familiar are they with the material?
Include examples.
Use active verbs.

Accommodate screen readers. Screen readers read aloud on-screen content and Alt Text for images. Be sure to:

Write out abbreviations and symbols.
Create accessible formulas and equations.
- You can use EquatIO. Read Digital Math - How to Create and Edit Digital Math with EquatIO for information on how to use this program.

Add Alt Text

In Grackle’s scan feedback Images category, click Images should have alternative text or mark as artifact.
Click Locate +Tag to go to the image.
Type in an image description and click Update.
- You do not need Alt Text for decorative images, logos, and graphic elements. Instead, click Mark as artifact.
Repeat for all images and re-scan to check your work.

Change the Reading Order

Text-to-speech and screen reading software may not read on-screen content in the same order as it appears visually. You can use Grackle to check and adjust your documents' reading order.

In Grackle Docs, click Document Structure. (In Grackle Sheets, click Table Structure; in Grackle Slides, click Slides Structure).
The document's reading order will appear, with accessibility feedback highlighted in red.
Drag and drop a heading to rearrange their reading order. Doing so does not change the document, only how a screen reader reads it aloud.

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Exporting Documents as Accessible PDFs

Export learning materials as easily shared, accessible PDF files.

Scan your document and make suggested changes.
In Grackle, under Accessibility Check, click Export to PDF.
If some of the content does not pass the accessibility check, you will be asked if you still want to export.
- Click Yes to export to PDF.
- Click No to continue editing.
Click Start and watch the export progress in the Progress Monitor.
When the Progress Monitor says Ready, you can View or Download your PDF.