Google Docs becomes more accessible with better Braille support

The online world is a magical place, but it’s very visual which leaves a portion of society on the sidelines. Google is continuing its commitment to accessibility by improving Braille support in Google Docs. While there’s a lot more to it than the updates, the highlight list from the — currently rolling out — improvements includes:

Improvements you may notice include:

• You can use the new Ctrl+Alt+H (CMD+Option+H on Mac) shortcut to toggle braille support in Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
• When you use shortcuts to navigate, we now announce where your cursor moves to, including comments, headings, misspellings, and suggestions.
• We improved the reliability of navigating through lengthy documents and lists.
• Images, misspellings, and grammar errors are now verbalised directly by assistive technology.
• We’ve improved navigation and selection verbalisations when moving through tables and when selecting content, including announcing the entire cell’s contents.

Working in disability, as well as having a child with multiple disabilities I worry that my son will miss out on much of the online world. Combined with his BrailleNote Touch, the development of the Google suite of apps will make the world that much more accessible.

The rollout began on the 31st of August and will be completed by the 15th of September and at completion, will be available to all G Suite users.