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The box where you edit text in Drupal, WordPress, or Canvas is called a rich text editor. The first step in creating an accessible table using a rich text editor is to be sure to choose a header row in the options when adding a table. In Drupal’s CK-Editor, there’s an option under Headers to choose which row should be the header row. Many times this is the First Row in the table. Other types of tables use the First Column as the header row. There is also an option to choose ‘Both’. By specifying a header row a screen reader user is able to use special key commands to announce the name of the row or column, which provides more context about the cell they are in.
Also be sure to enter a caption in the Caption field for the table unless you have a heading (such as H2, H3, or H4) directly above the table. When there is a heading directly above the table, it serves as a substitute description for the table. Be sure to follow headings best practices when using them, i.e. properly next and don’t skip heading levels. The Summary field in the Table Properties is optional.
More complex tables might take code view intervention to make accessible. So in those cases you may need to consult with your department’s web developer to make accessible. They will be able to employ table accessibility techniques in the code that aren’t possible with the CK-Editor way of adding tables.