Tag Archives: Gmail

Navigating Gmail’s Shift from HTML to Standard View for Accessibility

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Google’s decision to phase out the Basic HTML view of Gmail, a mainstay for screen reader users, marks a significant move towards a more accessible web. By early 2024, users are encouraged to transition to the Standard view, which has seen numerous enhancements in usability and accessibility.

What’s Changing?

The Basic HTML view, familiar to many in the university’s accessibility community, is set to be disabled in favor of the more feature-rich Standard view. Google has prepared resources, including a detailed guide, to assist screen reader users in adapting to this change.

Improved Accessibility in Standard View

Google has significantly upgraded the Standard view, focusing on easier navigation for keyboard and screen reader users. This improvement is part of Google’s commitment to enhancing digital accessibility for all users.

Implications for University Community

This transition is pivotal for our university community, particularly for those who depend on screen readers. While adapting may present initial challenges, the enhanced features and improved accessibility of the Standard view offer long-term benefits.

Embracing the Change

As we move towards a more inclusive digital environment, Google’s support resources are invaluable for a smooth transition. For more information and access to the guide, visit Google’s Support Page.

Using Advanced Search in Gmail

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Remember that email with the attached Word document that had an article listed in the works cited section that you could really use right now? It was sent by your classmate from two semesters ago whose name you can’t quite remember at the moment, and it had something to do with statistical anomalies in urban demography or maybe statistical models of emerging democracies? You know, that one?

First, take a deep breath. Then, use advanced search in your Simmons Gmail to find it. To access the advanced search options, click on the small triangle on the right side of the search bar.

Gmail search box

From there, you can use the fields in the dropdown menu to search your email by who sent it, when it was sent, if it contained an attachment, or even how large the attachment is.

Gmail advanced search options

Use these advanced options to quickly narrow down your search and find that one email you’re looking for. To learn more about how to use advanced search, click here.

An Update on Google Apps for Faculty and Staff

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The Technology team is moving rapidly to prepare for the Google Apps migration for faculty and staff. As we get ready to kick things off in January, we wanted to let you know when you’ll be migrated and what you can do to prepare.

We have recently posted the full migration schedule on ourproject website. The timeline is broken down into departments and schools. As your migration date approaches, Technology will work with a department or school liaison to coordinate individual migrations based on your availability.

Prior to your migration date, you will receive additional information about what to expect. If you want to get a jumpstart on migration, you can take a few steps to prepare. These include cleaning up old email folders. If you have email from several years stored on your computer, this is a great opportunity to get rid of old emails and files you no longer need. If you have questions about how to do this, please contact us. If you want to know more about the Simmons College email retention policy, please visit theSimmons College Policy Index or contact the College Archivist, Jason Wood.

If you’d like to learn more about Google Apps and how to use it, we recommend checking out the Quick Start Guides on the project site or attending an introductory training. We’re scheduling these sessions now and they’ll be available starting in January. Each session will provide an overview of Google Apps for Education and we’ll be available to answer questions you might have.

A question we’ve been hearing a lot recently is, “What’s happening to Meeting Maker?” To make this transition as smooth as possible, we’re going to keep Meeting Maker running for the time being. Once everyone has been moved to Google Apps (late April), we will set a timeline for shutting it off. One reason for keeping Meeting Maker active is that not all faculty and staff are moving to Google Apps simultaneously. If your department is moving early, you might still need Meeting Maker for appointments set by colleagues in other departments. Additionally, there is no foolproof way to move all meetings from Meeting Maker to Google Apps without potentially losing data. You will need to manually create any recurring appointments in Google Calendar. We estimate that this will take no more than an hour, even for those of you with complex recurring meetings. The Service Desk and migration team are also here to help you with the transition.

We hope you will take time to look at the project site and to familiarize yourself with Google Apps for Education. We’ll make announcements about training and additional resources after the winter break.