Grackle Docs is an add-on that extends the accessibility of Google Docs (CI Docs) by automatically checking all aspects of your document and advising you on what requires attention. There are also Grackle Sheets and Grackle Slides plugins available. The Grackle Suite of plugins allows you to check and remediate content in Docs, Sheets, and Slides more easily. You can find these plugins within your CI Docs account within their respective Google content types. These tools are available in all CI Docs accounts (faculty, students, staff, and administrators).
From your CI Docs account, navigate to Docs, Slides, or Sheets. From the top menu bar, select Add-ons, and you will see either Grackle Docs, Grackle Sheets, or Grackle Slides listed on the add-ons menu. You can then launch the plugin. *You may be prompted to allow access or accept permissions before the plugin will launch.*
Once the plugin launches, Grackle Docs scans various document components for accessibility issues.
Grackle Docs Checkpoints
Grackle Docs includes 22 checkpoints that are organized in six sections reviewed below. Each section has a category name with a symbol to the right: either a green check denoting all area checkpoints have passed, a yellow-colored number denoting the number of warnings, or a red-colored number denoting the number of checkpoints that require attention. Clicking the category name will expand the menu. Each checkpoint will have a checkmark in green, an X in red, or a green checkmark with a tiny red dot/exclamation, which is a warning.
Document
A document title and language should be specified. Clicking on the Document section in Grackle Docs will expand the menu to locate and edit the Title and set the document’s language. If a Title header is used, Grackle defaults to it as the document title. You also have the option to use the document name as the Title by selecting the Use the Google Doc name checkbox. Make sure the document name is well described when choosing this option.
Images
Grackle Docs checks that images, equations, and drawings have alternative text. It also flags images that appear to use their filename as alt-text rather than unique descriptions. All images, equations, and drawings are included under the Images tab in the Grackle Docs sidebar pane. Expanding the images menu will allow users to locate and edit alternative text for each.
Note: The last checkpoint about image size – is not specifically an accessibility check but does help with resulting file sizes and some limitations set by Google.
Click on Locate to jump to that image in the document. Click the +Tag button to open a dialog box to add or edit alternative text.
Images without alt-text are grouped separately and marked with a red +Locate button. Images that have alt-text are grouped and have a green +Locate button. Click on Locate to jump to that image in the document. Click on the +Tag button to open a dialog box to add or edit the alternative text for the image. You also have the option to mark it as an artifact if the image is solely decorative and conveys no essential information.
Headings
There are three checkpoints in the Headings section. Possible warnings include if no headings are present, if there are empty headings, if multiple Heading 1 elements are present, and if headings are present but not nested correctly (i.e., a level was skipped H1 to H3).
- Headings should be used.
- A single Heading 1 should be used.
- Headings must be properly nested. (No skipped heading levels, i.e., H1 to H2 to H3 and so on)
Tables
To ensure accessibility, data tables (like the example below) must be tagged with Row and Column Headers. Users of assistive technology rely on the header information to understand the structure of the table and the format of the tabular data it contains—for example, the tentative course schedule table within a syllabus.
| Weekly Session/Module | Day/Date | Class Topic(s) | Reading(s), Assignments & Online Activities Due | Points/ Percentage of Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1, Module 1 | Tues. 9:00 am – 11:50 am | Topics X and Y | Start Here Module Knowledge Check | 50 points/10% of final grade |
| Week 2, Module 1 | Tues. 9:00 am – 11:50am | Topic Z | Case Study A | 20 points/4% of final grade |
To add or edit table structure, click to expand the Tables section in Grackle Docs. Click Locate to jump to the table in the document, and click the +Tag button to access a dialog box where you can identify the header elements within the table. You can identify a table’s first row or column as headers or individually select cells and mark them as headers. Although not recommended, tables used for layout purposes can also be identified. 
Landmarks
Landmarks are optional document elements such as headers, footers, footnotes, and lists. The tool allows you to locate instances of each landmark type within the document. There are three checkpoints in the Landmarks section.
- Headers and Footers should be used.
- Footnotes should have IDs and alt text
- Lists should be used where appropriate
Contents
Grackle Docs checks the document for various content elements that may create difficulties for some users. Text with low color contrast, fine print, and all-caps are checkpoints. Text alignment, lengthy paragraphs, and non-descriptive links are also checked.
Once satisfied that your document is more accessible, Grackle Docs also allows you to create tagged PDFs, if necessary. Refer to the Create Accessible PDFs with Grackle Docs page for step-by-step directions.
