Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Downloading Google Spreadsheets with a Screenreader

I got an email from someone not too long ago asking for more details on how to download a spreadsheet from Google Docs using a screenreader. (Not going to tell you who it is, since I don't have their permission, but it was someone I really rather admire in the accessibility field. Got all giddy about it and everything, 'cuz I'm just like that.) Thought I'd post it here in case anyone else needs it.

Keep in mind that Google is saying they will have Docs (and the other Edu apps) accessible by Fall 2011, so this may not necessarily be a necessary procedure for long. Also, the nature of webapps being what it is, Google may change everything around in the next 10 minutes and this technique may no longer work. Your mileage may vary, yada yada yada.
I did test this procedure using NVDA and JAWS.

You'll need to be on the Documents page, which lists all the Google Docs to which you have access. Each of the files will show up as a link. Navigate to the link for the file you want (the link title is the name of the document) and then use the context menu key or right-click. (On Macs, you can use CTRL+click.) The Download option will be 6th in the list of 8 on that submenu.

A Convert and Download dialog box will open. In the table on that dialog box, you will have the option to change how it's downloaded (Excel, Open Office, or PDF) from a dropdown box. It's important to note that if the spreadsheet was compiled from data collected in a Google Form, there will be two parts to the download - the spreadsheet and the form. Google does not feed info to the screenreader to announce which is which. The spreadsheet is listed first. You can then tab to the Download button. If there is a form associated, the download will be in .zip format and include both the spreadsheet and the form itself. Another Google dialog window opens after you click Download, which gives you the option to manually start the download via a link if it didn't go automatically.

I've not been able to find an accessible way to download the spreadsheet once it's actually open within Google Docs. Docs has its own menu inside the browser window, but it's only accessible via the mouse and even when used with a screenreader, nothing beyond the menu title is read (no items in the menu).

If you find this helpful, have questions, or if you have other topics to suggest for future blog posts, shout 'em out in the comments.

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