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

[Katie Wang]

Hi Kaiti,

I recently came across the following blog post about the accessibility
of Google apps. According to the author (and a number of other blind
people I know), most features of Google apps are actually now
relatively accessible. I haven't personally had a chance to test out
the tips/suggestions mentioned here but hope you will find them
helpful. Good luck!
http://www.marcozehe.de/2014/07/08/accessibility-in-google-apps-an-overview/

Best,
Katie


On 8/21/14, minh ha via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Kaiti,
>
> Can you give a little bit more information about which features of
> google drive you are having problems with? I've been figuring out the
> functions of google drive bit by bit and have found that although a
> little challenging at times, most of the apps are accessible. From my
> experience, firefox seems to work best with the suite of apps; I'm
> using Jaws 13 but have also used it with Jaws 14.
>
> Minh
>
> On 8/21/14, Sofia Gallo via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi Kaity
>>
>> This isn't a work around, but what about dropbox? I use Exel worksheets
>> with
>> the desktop app?
>>
>> Sofia
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Aug 21, 2014, at 2:22 PM, Kaiti Shelton via nabs-l
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> 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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>
>
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