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Re: accessible tables in Word?

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From: Wayne Dick
Date: Nov 10, 2003 12:50PM

If a person has low vision, Word, or any comercial word processor, is very
accessible. They enlarge, the word wrap - eliminating horizantal scrolling.
Word processors allow precision line spacing and total contorl over color.
They preserve the original format when enlarged. Tables are a problem, but
nothing really translates tables. Tables are a visual phenomenon. At best
we can provide a listing of the data in a sequential format. The real
impact of the two dimensional table is lost.

Remember, not every visually impaired person needs reading out loud. For
many JAWS is a bad solution. Some need enlargement with word wrapping, easy
control over line spacing and color, and preservation of most of the visual
prompts provided by the unmodified document.

Unfortunately tables are always problematic. Objects that depend on their
two dimensional structure as part of their meaning do not translate easily.
That is why math in general is difficult.

Wayne


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