OK, so this is really strange, and for the life of me, I cannot even slightly begin to understand what in God's name is going on.
So, using the google Chrome browser specifically, I go to docs.google.com and sign in.
I create a totally new blank document in Google Docs, not something from a template.
I should add that both screen reader and also braille support have been enabled.
When I try opening any of the menus in the Docs web applet menu bar, like file, edit, view, insert, tools, format, help, or accessibility, I either just down arrow, or VO+Down arrow once the menu is expanded, but then Voiceover is jumping all over the darn place. And 100 percent of the time consistently, I can get maybe down to about the 3rd or 4th, if I'm lucky, menu option, but then if I keep going down, it throws me out of the menu back to the actual menu tab itself like file expanded, or edit expanded, or whatever menu I'm down inside.
I definitely definitely don't remember this happening before but the last time I tried using Docs on the mac seriously was like maybe 5 or 6 years ago, so who knows what's happened since then.
I reached out to Google Accessibility, but they tell me it's adimantly definitely, so help them God basically, not! not not not not! an issue on their end. They profoundly insist it's not on their end, and it's on Apple's end, so reach out to them for a fix.
Obviously, I talk to Apple Accessibility, and they tell me they can't do a ratt's behind thing because it's not their product, and then despite me telling them my job uses Docs, and so I have no choice but to use Docs if I wanna keep my job, they still keep pushing back insisting that I instead use Pages. I don't know what it's gonna take to convince them I, freak, ing, can't! Heh Low'w'w'w'w! Is anyone listening, for God sake? Sorry to be maybe overdramatic, but really, what the heck am I supposed to do? Google won't help me obviously... Apple insists it's not anything they can do, and wont' even agree to at the very least have engineers take a quick look at it, so I'm kind of between a rock and a hard place.
Thank God alive I have a Windows machine, and though I'm using it less and less each day, I still have it, all be it only barely, chug a lugging along, but for things like this, I am starting to feel I'm never be able to get totally away from Windows, and believe me, that really really sucks donky... um, OK, never mind that. LOL!
Comments
Experience on Safari
I just upgraded to Ventura, and thank goodness, the bug with the VoiceOver Ignore Next Keypress hotkey has finally been fixed.
Anyhow, in Safari at least, normal up/down arrow doesn't work for me. But VO+Up or Down Arrow seems to navigate the open menus correctly.
Honestly, I rarely navigate Google Docs menus this way, probably because the Ignore Next Keypress bug forced me to find a more efficient way to select menu options. I usually use Alt+Slash to search for and select the menu option I want.
Bug?
Can you elaborate on that bug you're talking about with ignoring next keypress? I've never heard of it.
Yeah, Google Docs has always…
Yeah, Google Docs has always been that way for me. I just use Windows for most web navigation.
Ignore next keypress bug
Here's the forum topic discussing the ignore next keypress bug. Fortunately, Ventura fixed it, and Google Docs is once again usable for me. I hope glassheart finds a fix for his menu issue.
Note to Devin
I actually found the problem. It turns out that if you set the mouse to ignore the Voiceover cursor rather than to follow, then since they're not tethered any longer, it works. I know why this fixes the issue, and maybe I'll write up later why that is, if someone else doesn't first beat me to it, but right now, I don't have time to do so. Just know for now, that's the fix.
Mouse Following VO Cursor
This sounds right. I have accidentally set the mouse to follow the VO cursor in the past, and experienced the same problem. I apologize I didn't think of this the first time I read your post. Old man brain. LOL.
By the way, does anyone know if there is a hotkey or keyboard shortcut to change mouse to follow VO cursor? Because sometimes I find this gets set, even though I never explicitly turn it on in VO Utility. So I assume I must be fumble-fingering something and the result is that it changes the mouse behavior. Any info would be welcome.
Not that I know of, lamentably.
Yeah, Paul... I don't think so. I think you've gotta go into the Voiceover Utility and do it there, unfortunately.
VO Activity
Paul,
You can create an activity and specify the behavior of your mouse cursor and set it to activate when you open app or URL–e.g., docs.google.com. I forget what the default VO command is... I assigned a custom trackpad gesture that I would actually remember.