Grackle
Grackle is an accessibility tool that helps you create and check more accessible course content in Google Workspace. It scans Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets for common accessibility barriers and provides guidance for fixing issues directly within your file.
Cost
No costAudience
Students, faculty & staffPurpose
AccessibilityCanvas integration
NoneGetting started
- Add the Grackle Extension to Docs, Slides, and Sheets
Follow the Tool Guide: Grackle Suite (Docs, Slides, Sheets) Google Extension or, view the step-by-step tutorial to add the Grackle extension to Google Docs, Slide, and Sheets. Check a document for accessibility using Grackle
Once you have added the Grackle extension, open the Doc, Slide, or Sheet you want to check. Select Extensions from the tool bar, hover over Grackle, and choose Launch. A Grackle sidebar will open on the right side of the screen. Run or review the accessibility check. A green check indicates the content passed, check with an exclamation icon indicates a warning, and a red X icon indicates there is a failed accessibility step and action is required.Resolving Accessibility Issues with Grackle
If Grackle identifies a failed check, you can resolve the issue directly from the accessibility checker in the sidebar:Select the failed check in the Grackle sidebar.
- Review the highlighted content in your document, slide, or sheet.
- Use Grackle’s provided tools or guidance to fix the issue.
- Select Re-Check at the top of the sidebar to confirm the issue is resolved.
View the step by step tutorial on fixing an accessibility issue with Grackle.
Using this tool in your course
Use Grackle while creating or updating course materials in Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets. Checking accessibility in the original file makes many issues easier to correct before the content is shared with students or added to Canvas.
Grackle can help you:
- Review syllabi, assignment instructions, handouts, presentations, and spreadsheets before sharing them with students.
- Identify common barriers such as missing alternative text, unclear heading structure, insufficient color contrast, and improperly structured tables.
- Improve reusable course materials and templates as they are created or revised.
- Incorporate accessibility into student projects created in Google Workspace.
- Export accessible PDFs from Google Docs and Slides or accessible HTML from Google Sheets.
Activity examples
- Review a course document before publishing it: Run Grackle on a syllabus, assignment guide, or handout and resolve issues before linking to it in Canvas.
- Prepare an accessible presentation: Check a Google Slides presentation for unique slide titles, reading order, color contrast, and alternative text before presenting or sharing it with students.
- Improve a course spreadsheet: Use Grackle Sheets to identify tables, clarify header rows, and organize sheet names so students using assistive technology can navigate the data more easily.
- Include accessibility in a student project: Ask students to run Grackle on a Google Doc, presentation, or spreadsheet before submitting a final project.
- Create a PDF for distribution: After checking a Google Doc or Slides presentation, use Grackle’s PDF export option to preserve accessibility information in the exported file.
Compare your options
Tool | Best used for | What it can do |
|---|---|---|
Grackle | Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets | Checks the original Google Workspace file and provides guided fixes. It can also export accessible PDFs from Docs and Slides and accessible HTML from Sheets. |
Microsoft Accessibility Checker | Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files | Built into Microsoft Office applications and designed for checking and correcting accessibility issues in Office files. |
Canvas Accessibility Checker | Content created directly in the Canvas Rich Content Editor | Reviews the individual Canvas page, assignment, discussion, or other content you are currently editing. It does not check linked Google files or uploaded documents. |
Ally | Files already added to a Canvas course | Helps instructors identify accessibility issues in uploaded course files and provides students with alternative formats when available. |
FAQ
No. Grackle identifies common issues and provides tools or instructions for correcting many of them, but some changes require you to review and update the content yourself.
No. Automated checkers cannot evaluate everything. You should still review the quality of alternative text, the clarity of link text and headings, the logical reading order, and whether the content is understandable and easy to navigate.
Grackle can identify images that are missing alternative text, but it cannot determine whether the description accurately communicates the image’s purpose. Review alternative text manually and consider the image’s context.
Yes. Open the Google Doc, Slides presentation, or Sheet you want to review, launch Grackle from the Extensions menu, and work through the results in the sidebar.
Yes. Grackle is available at no cost to ASU students, faculty, and staff with an ASURITE account. Instructors can encourage students to use it when creating Google Workspace files for course projects.
No. Grackle does not integrate with Canvas. Use it within Google Docs, Slides, or Sheets before linking to or uploading the material in Canvas.
First use Grackle to review and correct the source file. Then use Grackle’s accessible PDF export option instead of Google Workspace’s standard PDF download option so accessibility tags and document structure are more likely to be preserved.
Accessibility, privacy, and other considerations
Accessibility
- Grackle provides accessibility features for its products and reports conformance with WCAG 2.1 AA, the accessibility standard used for web content.
Grackle’s commitment to accessibility.
Student and course information
- Grackle has been approved for use at ASU. When creating activities or sharing course materials, use ASU-supported options and consider what student or course information is included.
Resources
Explore ASU and Grackle resources to learn about how to make course content accessible.
ASU resources
- Follow the Tool Guide: Grackle Suite (Docs, Slides, Sheets) Google Extension
- view the step-by-step tutorial to add the Grackle extension to Google Docs, Slide, and Sheets.
- View the step by step tutorial on fixing an accessibility issue with Grackle.
Grackle resources
- Review the Grackle Docs Demo (~21 min): Overview of creating accessible Google Docs.
- Grackle Workspace Walkthrough (~7 min): Accessibility tools across Google Workspace.
Get support
Need technical help?
Contact the ASU Experience Center for general technical support or problems accessing Grackle.
Want to explore ways to make your course content accessible?
Learning Experience (LX) offers workshops and consultations where you can explore how Grackle or other enterprise technologies might support your teaching goals.