[nabs-l] Accessibility work arounds for Google Docs, When is Good, etc.

[Bill K. Dengler]

Use Chrome with the Chrome Vox extension or the Google Drive Android app.
Google Drive/apps work great for me when I use/need them.

Bill
-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kaiti Shelton
via nabs-l
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2014 2:22 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: [nabs-l] Accessibility work arounds for Google Docs, When is Good,
etc.

Hi NABS,

I'm in a fraternity which relies heavily on Google Apps to organize events,
set up calendars for the chapter, make sign up sheets for bake sales and
other table activities, etc.  We also frequently use the site When is Good
to find times for committee meetings and other small groups to get together
to work on projects.  As you all know, this creates an accessibility
nightmare for me, since I can't access any of the information easily.  While
I didn't have much success in working with last year's exec board to work
around these issues, the president for this year and I have met and
discussed these problems.  Though she has no prior experience with these
issues and is just another student, she is willing to help me look into
other options which might make it easier for me to have access to the
chapter information.  She has expressed interest in reaching out to the
Office of Learning Resources where our disability staff works, and seems to
be making a good effort, for which I am really appreciative.

However, the president and I agreed that one of the issues we might face if
alternative ways of accessing the existing systems aren't available to me,
might be getting the chapter to make changes.  Last year the big issue was,
"We've been using google docs for years, and that's the system we've already
set up, so just do the best you can with it."  I had a job in the fraternity
which required me to use a Google Docs spreadsheet to monitor sign ups for
events, and it was very difficult for me to give back to the fraternity to
the best of my ability because of that technical problem and the
accessibility issues.  The president knows I am completely capable of being
a valuable asset to the fraternity, and that if given the proper access to
the tools we use I could do a fine job of organizing and/or leading projects
alongside my sisters.

Though I will be living in the house with her and several other exec board
members this year, I do not want to have to rely upon them to complete when
is good forms and to check the calendar.  I think that I could use my living
situation to closely work with these board members to educate them about the
accessibility issues I have with Google and to work for a positive solution
to the problem.  I am asking if anyone on this list has found work arounds
for using Google docs and When is Good forms in these situations.  So far
the only thing I've managed to work out is the google forms app we use to
take surveys for the chapter, but not having access to things like sign up
sheets and the calendar are really big problems I hope to solve this year.
Any suggestions would be great.

--
Kaiti

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