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Thread: Accessible spreadsheets
Number of posts in this thread: 5 (In chronological order)
From: chagnon
Date: Fri, Jun 22 2018 10:45AM
Subject: Accessible spreadsheets
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The recent thread about Sec. 508 regarding Excel prompted this question:
How accessible are spreadsheets with current assistive technologies?
I'm sure the answer will be "it depends," but let's take 2 basic samples:
1. A spreadsheet of just plain data, such as a directory with names,
addresses and emails in rows and columns.
2. A spreadsheet with common, basic formulas, such as summation of a
column of numbers.
- - -
Bevi Chagnon, founder/CEO | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = <mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
- - -
PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing
consulting . training . development . design . sec. 508 services
Upcoming classes at www.PubCom.com/classes
- - -
From: Birkir R. Gunnarsson
Date: Fri, Jun 22 2018 11:43AM
Subject: Re: Accessible spreadsheets
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Quite accessible with a screen reader, Jaws in particular.
YOu can browse spreadsheets by cels, review formulas and comments with
keystrokes, assign header cells (Jaws only), name and move worksheets
around (I think Jaws only, but not sure), you can get a list of
objects (at least in Jaws) that enable you to e.g. click buttons to
run scripts (I used to work full-time writing VBA scripts for massive
risk monitoring applications for a bank, the fact that the bank went
under is not my fault, I promise).
There are some difficulties navigating custom dropdowns in Excel (have
not tested with latest version, both in Jaws and NVDA.
I've not been able to create or use pivot tables.
Hope this helps, if you just want a number I'd say 85% with Jaws, 75% with NVDA.
On 6/22/18, = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> The recent thread about Sec. 508 regarding Excel prompted this question:
>
>
>
> How accessible are spreadsheets with current assistive technologies?
>
>
>
> I'm sure the answer will be "it depends," but let's take 2 basic samples:
>
>
>
> 1. A spreadsheet of just plain data, such as a directory with names,
> addresses and emails in rows and columns.
> 2. A spreadsheet with common, basic formulas, such as summation of a
> column of numbers.
>
>
>
> - - -
>
> Bevi Chagnon, founder/CEO | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = <mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
>
> - - -
>
> PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing
>
> consulting . training . development . design . sec. 508 services
>
> Upcoming classes at www.PubCom.com/classes
>
> - - -
>
>
>
>
>
> > > > >
--
Work hard. Have fun. Make history.
From: Karlen Communications
Date: Fri, Jun 22 2018 12:53PM
Subject: Re: Accessible spreadsheets
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I can only address JAWS 18.
There are verbosity settings and keyboard commands to navigate column and
row titles as well as various areas of the worksheet and workbook. It is
important that each worksheet have a unique name that is meaningful to the
content of the worksheet.
When I land on a cell with a formula, JAWS will read both the formula and
the result.
My biggest problem is with JAWS losing focus and just shifting the screen
slightly up or slightly down without saying anything. Usually the only way
to get it to work again in Excel is to restart my computer. This is with
Word 2016 through Office 365 and Windows 10 all updates installed. I've had
this problem for years so don't even think about it unless I'm concentrating
on remediating a worksheet and suddenly lose speech.
The other huge issue for those of us using screen readers or Text-to-Speech
tools is not being able to see or visually decode the layout of the data on
the worksheet. When remediating Excel content I use Word to write a
"narrative" of how the worksheet is laid out, provide links to main topic
areas and let the end-user know if there are blank columns and rows used for
visual effect. Most document authors won't let you change the layout of
their worksheets/workbook. I find a blank cell near the top of the worksheet
and add the text from Word, making it white text on a white background makes
it available to screen readers and Text-to-Speech tools but not visible
unless focus is in that cell. Same with the links, find a place near the top
of the worksheet, let people know in the narrative that they are there and
where they start and make them white text on a white background.
Microsoft also has some tips on making Excel worksheets accessible:
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Make-your-Excel-spreadsheets-access
ible-6cc05fc5-1314-48b5-8eb3-683e49b3e593
Cheers, Karen
From: Ryan E. Benson
Date: Sun, Jun 24 2018 2:47PM
Subject: Re: Accessible spreadsheets
← Previous message | Next message →
> assign header cells
With newer versions of excel you should be able to select the table and
data, then use the "format as a table" function on the home tab. If you
select the "table has headers option, the top row should become effectively
THs. andhave an experience like you would in Word. You can't mark row
headers though.
--
Ryan E. Benson
On Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 1:43 PM, Birkir R. Gunnarsson <
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> Quite accessible with a screen reader, Jaws in particular.
> YOu can browse spreadsheets by cels, review formulas and comments with
> keystrokes, assign header cells (Jaws only), name and move worksheets
> around (I think Jaws only, but not sure), you can get a list of
> objects (at least in Jaws) that enable you to e.g. click buttons to
> run scripts (I used to work full-time writing VBA scripts for massive
> risk monitoring applications for a bank, the fact that the bank went
> under is not my fault, I promise).
>
> There are some difficulties navigating custom dropdowns in Excel (have
> not tested with latest version, both in Jaws and NVDA.
> I've not been able to create or use pivot tables.
>
> Hope this helps, if you just want a number I'd say 85% with Jaws, 75% with
> NVDA.
>
>
>
> On 6/22/18, = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> > The recent thread about Sec. 508 regarding Excel prompted this question:
> >
> >
> >
> > How accessible are spreadsheets with current assistive technologies?
> >
> >
> >
> > I'm sure the answer will be "it depends," but let's take 2 basic samples:
> >
> >
> >
> > 1. A spreadsheet of just plain data, such as a directory with names,
> > addresses and emails in rows and columns.
> > 2. A spreadsheet with common, basic formulas, such as summation of a
> > column of numbers.
> >
> >
> >
> > - - -
> >
> > Bevi Chagnon, founder/CEO | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = <mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
> >
> > - - -
> >
> > PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing
> >
> > consulting . training . development . design . sec. 508 services
> >
> > Upcoming classes at www.PubCom.com/classes
> >
> > - - -
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > > > > > > > >
>
>
> --
> Work hard. Have fun. Make history.
> > > > >
From: Brandon Keith Biggs
Date: Sun, Jun 24 2018 5:41PM
Subject: Re: Accessible spreadsheets
← Previous message | No next message
Hello,
I extensively use Google Sheets with NVDA.
I have used pivot tables, but not very much. Dropdowns are very accessible.
There are a few things that are not optimal, like selecting cells when you
start typing a formula, but you can just ignore that and keep typing.
You can set row and column headers in the accessibility menu. You can also
read row and column headers with the ctrl+alt+shift+c and r commands.
Excel is OK, but I found it too slow for small sheets. You can assign
headers for columns and rows by pressing NVDA+shift+r and c.
I don't think widgets are very accessible in excel.
Thanks,
Brandon Keith Biggs <http://brandonkeithbiggs.com/>;
On Sun, Jun 24, 2018 at 1:47 PM, Ryan E. Benson < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
wrote:
> > assign header cells
>
> With newer versions of excel you should be able to select the table and
> data, then use the "format as a table" function on the home tab. If you
> select the "table has headers option, the top row should become effectively
> THs. andhave an experience like you would in Word. You can't mark row
> headers though.
>
>
> --
> Ryan E. Benson
>
> On Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 1:43 PM, Birkir R. Gunnarsson <
> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
> > Quite accessible with a screen reader, Jaws in particular.
> > YOu can browse spreadsheets by cels, review formulas and comments with
> > keystrokes, assign header cells (Jaws only), name and move worksheets
> > around (I think Jaws only, but not sure), you can get a list of
> > objects (at least in Jaws) that enable you to e.g. click buttons to
> > run scripts (I used to work full-time writing VBA scripts for massive
> > risk monitoring applications for a bank, the fact that the bank went
> > under is not my fault, I promise).
> >
> > There are some difficulties navigating custom dropdowns in Excel (have
> > not tested with latest version, both in Jaws and NVDA.
> > I've not been able to create or use pivot tables.
> >
> > Hope this helps, if you just want a number I'd say 85% with Jaws, 75%
> with
> > NVDA.
> >
> >
> >
> > On 6/22/18, = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> > > The recent thread about Sec. 508 regarding Excel prompted this
> question:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > How accessible are spreadsheets with current assistive technologies?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I'm sure the answer will be "it depends," but let's take 2 basic
> samples:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > 1. A spreadsheet of just plain data, such as a directory with names,
> > > addresses and emails in rows and columns.
> > > 2. A spreadsheet with common, basic formulas, such as summation of a
> > > column of numbers.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > - - -
> > >
> > > Bevi Chagnon, founder/CEO | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = <mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
> > >
> > > - - -
> > >
> > > PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing
> > >
> > > consulting . training . development . design . sec. 508 services
> > >
> > > Upcoming classes at www.PubCom.com/classes
> > >
> > > - - -
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Work hard. Have fun. Make history.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > >