[Athen] Google Docs and manipulating comments in a document ...

[Bishop, Jeff - (jeffbis) via athen-list]

Yes, thank you so much for all of this. I had this and this just doesn’t feel very reliable with the exception of relying on Alt + Shift + A.


From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu> On Behalf Of Top Tech Tidbits via athen-list
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2025 1:27 PM
To: Bishop, Jeff - (jeffbis) <jeffbis at arizona.edu>; 'Access Technology Higher Education Network' <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Google Docs and manipulating comments in a document ...

Hi Jeff,

You're not alone in struggling with Google Docs comments and screen readers, it's a known challenge. The Ctrl + Shift + Alt + A hotkey to open the comment history is indeed the most reliable way to access comments with a screen reader, but as you mentioned, the experience is not the smoothest.

Here are some additional tips and potential workarounds that might improve the experience:


  1.  Try Using Tab Navigation


  *   If the standard next/previous comment hotkeys aren’t working, try using Tab and Shift + Tab to navigate through the interface. Sometimes, screen readers do not properly register Google Docs' built-in shortcuts.
  *   You may need to ensure that screen reader support is enabled in Google Docs under Tools > Accessibility Settings.


  1.  Use Screen Reader-Specific Commands

Depending on the screen reader you’re using, you might have more success using its own navigation tools rather than relying on Google Docs' shortcuts:


  *   NVDA: Try NVDA+F7 to bring up an elements list, which may help in navigating comments.
  *   JAWS: Use JAWS Key + F6 to navigate by elements within a Google Doc.
  *   VoiceOver (Mac): Use VO + Command + H to list headings and regions, which might help with comment navigation.


  1.  Google Docs Shortcut Fixes


  *   Google Docs' official hotkeys for navigating between comments are:


     *   Ctrl + Alt + N, then Ctrl + Alt + C → Move to next comment
     *   Ctrl + Alt + P, then Ctrl + Alt + C → Move to previous comment


  *   However, these sometimes don't register well. Try pressing them slowly rather than in quick succession, as screen reader focus might lag behind.


  1.  Consider Google Docs API or Add-ons

If accessibility continues to be problematic, some third-party add-ons may help by extracting comments into a more screen-reader-friendly format. Google Docs' API also allows extracting comments, which could be useful if you're comfortable with coding solutions.

Hope this helps!

Aaron Di Blasi, PMP<https://www.pmi.org/>

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From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu>> On Behalf Of Bishop, Jeff - (jeffbis) via athen-list
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2025 10:50 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>>
Subject: [Athen] Google Docs and manipulating comments in a document ...

Hello,

Has anyone gotten Google Docs and screen readers to play nicely together when working with comments? The only way I have  been able to accomplish this is with the CTRL + Shift + Alt + A hotkey which is a dialog that shows all comments in a document. The user experience is also a bit rough for this experience as well which makes it difficult. The hotkeys for moving to the next and previous comment are not working for me.

Jeff


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