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RE: accessible tables in Word?

for

From: sean keegan
Date: Nov 4, 2003 10:30AM

Carol,

Are you trying to identify the headers so JAWS will recognize the
headers and read them?

Using JAWS, a user can issue commands that will identify the first row
cell or the first column cell in a table. Do you have to explicitly
identify these elements? No, as JAWS interprets these to be the row and
column headers. What happens when the first row and first column do not
actually contain the row and column heading information? Well, then it
becomes a bit more difficult to navigate and comprehend.

If you want to identify explicitly the row/column header information,
then you are left with HTML (and as you mentioned, that may not be an
option).

Take care,
sean

Sean Keegan
Web Accessibility Instructor
High Tech Center Training Unit for the
California Community Colleges
Cupertino, CA
408.996.6044

-----Original Message-----
From: Carol Foster [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
Sent: Monday, November 03, 2003 7:33 AM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: accessible tables in Word?

Hello,

I have been looking at options for accessible documents - PDF's, Word,
etc. The documents I am working with at the moment are fairly simple,
but have some tables and lists. In Word 2000, they read fairly well
with JAWS, but I cannot figure out how to identify headers in the
tables, or if that is possible. I did find the "Heading Rows Repeat"
option for tables, but that does not seem to be picked up by JAWS, or am
I missing something?

Also, I am wondering if anyone knows if the free Word reader would work
any differently with JAWS than the full Word 2000.

I am testing with JAWS 4.51 with Word 2000 on a pc with Windows 2000.

(I know and support the idea that HTML is the best way to go, but this
is not always in my control!)

Thanks,
Carol




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