Ensuring that information is available to all users regardless of ability is fundamental to digital inclusion. While Google Workspace offers excellent collaboration tools, creating fully compliant accessible documents requires supplemental validation tools.

The solution is to add the free Grackle Workspace extensions for Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets. Built by GrackleDocs, Grackle Workspace checks your files against accessibility standards, making it easy to update and share accessible content with others.

Installing Grackle

You will need to install a Grackle Workspace extension for each Google tool you use (Docs, Slides, and Sheets). The steps for Google Docs are outlined below:

1. Sign in to your Miami Google account and open a Google Doc.
2. Navigate to Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons.
3. Search for "Grackle," select Grackle Docs, and complete the installation permissions.
4. Once installed, access Grackle anytime from the Extensions menu.

Designing with Purpose

A document's underlying structure determines how effectively assistive technologies navigate content. Incorporate these core best practices while formatting:

• Typography: Choose clean, standard fonts such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Verdana, Tahoma, or Times New Roman.
• Color & Contrast: Avoid relying solely on color to convey meaning (e.g., relying only on red text for required fields). Grackle verifies contrast ratios, but tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker can also assist during design.
• Headings: Use structured style tags (Heading 1, Heading 2) instead of manually enlarging or bolding body text. Avoid "Subtitle" styles, as they do not convert to PDF structural headings. Grackle requires a single Heading 1; additional headings should be used in order.
• Paragraphs & Spacing: Avoid empty paragraph lines or tab stops for layout. Adjust Line & Paragraph Spacing settings and use page breaks (Ctrl/⌘ + Enter) to transition pages.
• Lists: Apply built-in ordered (numbered) lists for sequential information and unordered (bulleted) lists for non-sequential items.
• Hyperlinks: Use descriptive, plain-language link text (e.g., the destination page title) rather than full URLs. If including a QR code, provide a matching textual link alongside it.
• Tables: Reserve tables strictly for tabular data. Set clear header rows and avoid merged or split cells.
• Images: Provide brief Alternative Text (Alt Text) for meaningful visuals. Right-click the visual, select Alt text, and summarize its core meaning in 1–2 plain-language sentences.

Validating and Exporting

1. Launch Grackle from the Extensions menu.
2. Review the automated accessibility checks in the Grackle sidebar and resolve flagged issues. The following icons are used:
   • Green check = Passed
   • Green check with exclamation = Passed with warning 
   • Red X = Failed
3. Once you've addressed flagged issues, select Re-Check to ensure any fixes implemented meet accessibility standards. When you’ve passed all the checks, your document is ready to share. 

NOTE: Although Grackle presents you with the option to Export to PDF, you should consider if that will be the best format to distribute the document. PDFs may require additional remediation to validate accessibility.

By building clean document structures and validating compliance with Grackle, you ensure your course materials and administrative documents remain accessible and equitable for every reader.  For more information about digital accessibility at Miami, please visit the AccessMU Center website.