Grackle Docs, Slides, and Sheets are add-ons to Google Workspace. If you have a Google Doc, Sheet or Slide deck that you wish to share with others, launch Grackle to review possible accessibility barriers. After Grackle has identified barriers, you correct the barriers to make the doc, sheet, or slides more accessible.  

These add-ons are available to all of UW–‍Madison at no cost. Install each add-on for Google Docs, Slides and Sheets separately through the Google Workspace Marketplace.

Please note: Since Grackle Workspace is licensed for @wisc.edu accounts only, DoIT recommends that users access these add-ons with a wisc.edu Chrome profile to avoid being asked to sign in every time.

Figure caption: An overview of what Grackle looks like when launched in a Google Doc.

Grackle can evaluate accessibility for any Google doc, Google sheet, or Google slide deck within the Google Workspace. Once installed and then launched, it will recommend changes to the tested doc, sheet, or slides to make it more accessible.

Note that the extension must be launched for every doc, sheet, or slides file. It will not check your files for accessibility until you tell it to. 

Common barriers that Grackle finds:

• Missing alternative text

• Missing headings

• Headings out of order (“improperly nested”)

• Poor color contrast

• Tables that are untagged or have empty cells 

Some of the corrections can be made in a panel that opens when Grackle is launched. Other corrections you will need to make in the document itself.

This video from Grackle provides an overview of Grackle functionality. 

In any Google Doc:

1. Navigate to “Extensions” in your Google document’s menu bar→Select Add-ons, → Get Add-ons.

2. Search for “Grackle” in the Google Workspace marketplace. Grackle Docs should be the first extension in the search results.

3. Install and launch Grackle Docs.

4. Repeat this process for Google Slides and Google Sheets. The Grackle add-ons are called Grackle Slides and Grackle Sheets, respectively, in the Google Workspace marketplace.

Grakledocs.com has a video to walk you through installation. Grackle also provided UW-Madison with a pdf version of their Guide: Grackle Guide pdf.

• Grackle provided UW-Madison with a pdf version of their Guide: Grackle Guide pdf

• Grackle is used regularly by people in the Digital Accessibility Community of Practice (DACoP). Anyone may join the accessibility group and post questions in the Teams Channel.

• The Grackle Knowledge Base can answer some questions, but lacks in-depth information about the tools. 

• You may contact Grackle at support@grackledocs.com.

Accessibility barrier

In the Slide Structure/Document Structure panel, the drag-and-drop function is not accessible using keyboard-only navigation. (This barrier has been reported, and Grackle is working on a fix.)

Usability barriers

• Users have expressed frustration after going to Grackle’s website and finding no help documentation. There is a Grackle Knowledge Base, but it lacks in-depth guidance on using the tool.

• In the Tag Image or Shape dialog, it would be clearer if the checkbox were named “Mark as decorative,” rather than “Mark as artifact.” The meaning of “artifact” might only make sense to users who are familiar with PDF remediation. (Refer to Figure 1)

Figure 1

Figure 1 caption: “Mark as artifact” is confusing to most users, and is language used in pdf remediation. It means that the image or shape is decorative and doesn’t need alt text. 

• It is confusing that the buttons to Locate an object and Tag an object are often two halves of the same button, rather than two separate buttons. (Figure 2)

Figure 2

Figure 2 caption: Some buttons have two functions on the same button, which can make for a confusing user experience. In this example “Locate” and “Tag” are two separate functions that a user needs to hover over the correct half of the button to access. 

• In Grackle Slides, it is difficult to fix slides without titles if the title text boxes have already been deleted. 

• Users can’t add a title to a hidden slide in Grackle Slides.

• It is not initially clear that “Slide Structure” is the panel where you can adjust the reading order of objects on each slide. 

• It is not clear what the pink highlight means on certain objects. (Figure 3)

Figure 3

Figure 3 caption: Certain lines have pink highlights in Grackle Slides, but the meaning is unclear.

• In a Google Doc, Grackle will indicate that missing a title is a barrier. In most cases, you will select the “Use the Google Doc name” checkbox (refer to Figure 4). This will use the H1 of your document as the title. It is best not to tag a Title style from the dropdown menu in Google Docs (which is one of the fixes that Grackle will recommend, incorrectly). The title tag is used when there is a cover page with a title, such as a cover page for printing a formal report. Refer to Figure 4.

Figure 4

Figure 4 caption: The option to use the Google Doc name as the title is the preferred method to fix the missing title barrier. Select the checkbox to do so. If you instead use a “Title” style from the dropdown in Google Docs, it can cause confusion and create problems if you export to a pdf.