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

Fri Aug 22 03:54:09 UTC 2014

chromevox is far from intuitive. I also am not really thrilled about the 
idea of a self-voicing shell on top of a web browser to make sites that 
should already be accessible more accessible. Jaws 14 is much better 
with this since Google has been all over aria lately, I hear jaws 15 has 
better a11y support as well, but I've not tried it as of yet.
On 8/21/2014 11:40 PM, Bill K. Dengler via nabs-l wrote:
> What about Google Chrome/Chrome vox? I've always been able to access Google
> Docs/Sheets/Slides that way.
>
> 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 10:05 PM
> To: Katie Wang; National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Accessibility work arounds for Google Docs, When is
> Good, etc.
>
> Hi all,
>
> Thanks for the suggestions, and I'll particularly check out the article
> Katie Wang just posted for ideas.
>
> I think most of the time we use the spreadsheet feature on Google apps.  I
> tried to use this last year, along with the accessibility tips in Google
> help files, and had significant problems with it.  It was much easier to use
> Windows magnifier to read the screen visually, which in itself didn't make
> the task very easy and strained my eyes after a few minutes.  We also use
> the calendar, and this has worked a little better for me once I manage to
> get the events to display in list format rather than in calendar view.
> using Jaws 13 I had issues getting to the button to make this view change,
> but I have always used IE, which could have been the issue there.
>
> Like I said, google forms for surveys, and of course gmail, have worked fine
> for me.  I can't really use the dropbox idea, which is unfortunate because
> as easy as it would make life for me, it wouldn't be easy for the file to be
> continuously updated by various chapter members, and I would also be subject
> to missing information due to not having access to those updates if the
> person in charge of updating the dropbox file forgot.  Like I said the 20
> something other girls in the chapter already have their system, so we're
> trying to find ways to make it accessible for me with the existing platforms
> we have rather than to change platforms entirely for the chapter.  I would
> love to use dropbox though rather than Google drive, and will probably see
> if it can be managed for a committee, or projects I may undertake with a
> small group of people.
>
> When is Good is still going to be problematic.  Does anyone know of work
> arounds for that?  I've been sending my schedule and availability to people
> who send out the surveys, but I always feel a little awkward about it
> because I know sometimes there is other information listed in the survey
> that I am not privy to.  E.G, only certain meeting times will be shown as
> possible options, or the survey creator will put a note in the survey for
> people to read that I miss out on.  I'll keep sending my availability via
> email if I have to, but if anyone has happened to find a way to make When is
> Good work, or has found a comparable service that is accessible I can tell
> my chapter about, I would really appreciate it.
>
> On 8/21/14, Katie Wang via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 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-ove
>> rview/
>>
>> 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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>>>
>>> --
>>> "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the
>>> dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was
> vanity:
>>> but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on
>>> their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence
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>
> --
> Kaiti
>
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-- 
Take care,
Ty
http://tds-solutions.net
He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he that dares not reason is a slave.