Re: Accessibility of Excel documents

Unfortunately, When it comes to proprietary application formats, there
is not much you can do but convert them into something that is cross
platform.  I appreciate your effort.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Simon White" <simon.white@jkd.co.uk>
To: "David Poehlman" <poehlman1@comcast.net>; "WAI List (E-mail)"
<w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 11:35 AM
Subject: RE: Accessibility of Excel documents


So, in short, this could mean that any Excel documentation that exists
should be converted into a data table with full accessibility to ensure
that all users can read it?

How does everyone on the list sit with the idea that there is a link to
an Excel document for those who can access it through the application,
and a page with a separate link that is an accessible table containing
the same information for those who are unable to use Excel, don't have
the application or are using a technology that does not support Excel
documentation.

I don't like to segregate users in this fashion, but if that is the only
way to include everyone and allow access to the information, would this
be an acceptable method of offering that content? The reason that I ask
is that I have a site with lots of Excel spreadsheets and I was hoping
that they wouldn't require recoding into tables as they are all
different! Still, rather more work making it accessible than not
bothering at all.

Thanks again for the comments, they are coming in very handy indeed.

Kind regards

Simon

-----Original Message-----
From: David Poehlman [mailto:poehlman1@comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 16:28
To: Simon White; WAI List (E-mail)
Subject: Re: Accessibility of Excel documents


assuming I have an application to open, that may be the wisest hing to
do.  However, assumptions that I have excell are reaching at best.  You
also have to assume that my at supports excell which many do not and
many fairly new versions of them do not.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Simon White" <simon.white@jkd.co.uk>
To: "WAI List (E-mail)" <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 11:06 AM
Subject: FW: Accessibility of Excel documents




So, does that mean that if an Excel document is offered on a Web page,
it is better to cause it to open the Excel application and display the
document there rather than display it in a Web page? I am again making
the assumption that the user should be told that this will happen?

Thanks for the previous note on the use of Excel spreadsheets

Kind regards

Simon



_____________________________________________________________________
VirusChecked by the Incepta Group plc
_____________________________________________________________________

Received on Monday, 11 March 2002 11:45:06 UTC