Google Docs and Accessibility, Part 2: Spreadsheets

Google Spreadsheets has become much more feature-rich since its inception. It is now possible to do many of the things you'd do in Excel - including formulas and charts - with this free webapp. It has many of the same benefits and drawbacks that I highlighted last time about Google Documents. However, Spreadsheets does have some of its own unique benefits and barriers.

Making the Switch

There's a concise introduction article at WikiHow on the more common functions of Google Spreadsheets. There's also some good how-tos for formulas (About.com) and charts (Google Help).

One of the niftiest, and least known, advantages of Google Spreadsheets is an embedded LOOKUP function that searches for basic facts and plugs them right into your spreadsheet. Curious? Check out GoogleLookup here.

The Bottom Line: Google Spreadsheets Accessibility

A thorough and clearly written testing of Google Docs' accessibility has just been published by the Accessible Digital Office Document Project. You can find their review of Google Spreadsheets here. Essentially, they found that for users with visual impairments, Google Spreadsheets is fairly inoperable. Here's my roundup of the biggest accessibility problems, and any potential workarounds.

• Screenreader users: The number of barriers that exist, from inadequate keyboard controls to lack of information about elements, make using Google Spreadsheets with a screenreader nearly impossible for a person with vision impairments. Unlike Documents, Google has not provided a screenreader user's guide. Use Excel or another traditional spreadsheet program instead. You'll thank me later.
• Keyboard users: Not a whole lot more love here, I'm afraid. It's quite easy to move around within the spreadsheet itself with the keyboard, but not possible to navigate any of the interface controls with the keyboard alone. Mouse Keys (Windows Mac) is about the only workaround for this, though it's going to be a bit cumbersome.
• Screen magnification: The default view setting for Google Spreadsheets has small icons, small cells, and small print, and there is no way to change that in the interface. Fortunately, the (CTRL+) browser trick works fairly well to enlarge all of the elements, including the icons. Keep in mind that if you are using high-ratio screen magnification, the icons do pixelate a great deal and are difficult to read. Text seems to magnify smoothly, so it may be necessary to rely more on the alt-text that pops up on the icons when you hover the mouse over them.

Unique Ways Google Spreadsheets Benefits Students with Disabilities

Other than the saving, sharing, and simplicity features that I pointed out for Google Documents, Spreadsheets has no unique advantages for students with disabilities. These are, however, significant advantages. Whether they are enough to compensate for the above barriers is another question, and one I cannot answer for your individual situation.

A Note About Self-Advocacy and Google Apps

It's very important that SOU students are able to use any tools that are required of them to complete coursework or obtain information about programs, courses, and activities at SOU. If you are in a class that requires the use of Google Apps and you find that there are disability-related barriers that the inaccessibility of Apps poses, please discuss this with your instructor and/or with Disability Resources right away. Don't wait until the night before the project is due!

If you've got any further ideas for workarounds in Google Spreadsheets, or other suggestions I've not considered, please do shout 'em out in the comments!