Google Workspace resources—such as Docs, Forms, Sheets, and Slides—are often created, shared, and published to the web without accessibility in mind. These Google Workspace resources can pose formidable accessibility barriers to people with disabilities when they are not designed to be accessible.
15.4% of adults in the United States have cognitive and/or vision disabilities. This translates to over 36 million people.
Poorly designed Google Workspace resources are often significantly or completely inaccessible to people with cognitive and/or vision disabilities.
Digital Accessibility Checkpoints for Google Workspace
In addition to reviewing the checkpoints in Google’s overarching Help article for Making Your Document or Presentation More Accessible, please consider the following for each major workspace:
Google Docs Accessibility
Avoid using headers or footers except for page numbering.
Avoid ALL CAPS, ensure typeface readability, and use a minimum font size of at least 12 pt.
Google Forms Accessibility
Clearly identify any required form elements and ensure that all directions, cues, form fields, and error reporting are accessible via keyboard.
Google Sheets Accessibility
Avoid merged cells and always designate properly formatted header rows and/or columns.
Avoid ALL CAPS, ensure typeface readability, and use a minimum font size of at least 12 pt.
Google Slides Accessibility
Use or modify template slide layouts to maintain a consistent presentation structure.
Avoid ALL CAPS, ensure typeface readability, and use a minimum font size of at least 24 pt.
If faculty or staff have any additional questions regarding digital accessibility for public-facing digital resources at PSU, please email help-accessibility@pdx.edu or submit a Digital Accessibility Support ticket.