Using Tables to Display Content

For ADA Compliance, please follow these rules when using tables for your website page content.

Layout Tables

Layout tables are used to format content and do not require special tags to be accessible. A popular use of layout tables is to split a list into two columns. As long the columns don’t have titles, and it doesn’t matter what order the items are read in, nothing needs to be done to make the content accessible.

 If the order of content in the table matters makes sure that the content is linearized. Learn more about Layout Table Linearization.

Data Tables

The purpose of data tables is to present tabular information in a grid and to have column or rows that show the meaning of the information in the grid.

When creating a data table, it must be marked up to include the scope or id/headers attributes. Adding headers will help a user understand the table more completely. For more complete details, visit WebAIM's Creating Accessible Tables Guide.