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Re: Screen Readers as a Development Tool for Web Developers

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From: Bryan Garaventa
Date: Jul 17, 2015 11:17AM

It's always easier to build something if you understand how it works. The developers who I have worked with who have taken the time to do this are far better at building accessible software now than those who have not.

For example, understanding 'how' to do something is important, but it is equally important to understand the 'why' of doing something too, which is where AT familiarity comes into play. Also knowing the rendering differences between offscreen rendering models such as those in desktop screen readers like JAWS and NVDA, and how this differs from visual rendering models like that seen on iOS is important for responsive design.


-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Dennis Deacon
Sent: Friday, July 17, 2015 9:44 AM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: [WebAIM] Screen Readers as a Development Tool for Web Developers

I started my inquiry on Twitter, but wanted to get more feedback on this.

It is my opinion that web developers need to have a certain level of expertise with using a screen reader to test their work during development.
I have run into a few with a similar point of view. However, the majority of feedback has stated that this is an unrealistic expectation. I myself find it difficult to hand over work to someone else to test without having testing it myself.

I'd love to hear the opinion of others. I myself am a novice screen reader user and have looked for training specifically for developers. Beyond the online cheat sheets, there are none.

Thanks in advance.


Dennis Deacon