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Thread: ict on TITLE attributes for screen readers (WAS Re: Identifying link targets)

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Number of posts in this thread: 4 (In chronological order)

From: Austin, Darrel
Date: Tue, Sep 21 2004 11:58AM
Subject: Verdict on TITLE attributes for screen readers (WAS Re: Identifying link targets)
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This is tangental to the other discussion, but a bit of a more direct
question:

Are title attributes a viable/valid way to uniquely ID multiple links on a
web page for access via screen readers? Do screen readers read TITLE
attributes by default? If they do, what type of user turns this option off
and why?

-Darrel

From: julian.rickards@ndm.gov.on.ca
Date: Tue, Sep 21 2004 12:14PM
Subject: Re: Verdict on TITLE attributes for screen readers (WAS
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It is my understanding, supported by a comment I heard at TOevolt.org on
Saturday, that title text is off by default and that verbosity in JAWS must
be enabled to hear title text.

Why? That is a question for Freedom Scientific.

-----------------------------------------------
Julian Rickards
A/Digital Publications Distribution Coordinator
Publication Services Section,
Ministry of Northern Development and Mines,
Vox: 705-670-5608 / Fax: 705-670-5960


Are title attributes a viable/valid way to uniquely ID multiple links on a
web page for access via screen readers? Do screen readers read TITLE
attributes by default? If they do, what type of user turns this option off
and why?

From: Sailesh Panchang
Date: Tue, Sep 21 2004 12:32PM
Subject: Re: Verdict on TITLE attributes for screen readers (WAS Re: Identifying link targets)
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>;Are title attributes a viable/valid way to uniquely ID >;multiple
links on a web page for access via screen >;readers? Do screen readers read
TITLE>;attributes by default? If they do, what type of user turns >;this
option off and why?
I have repeatedly suggested to Freedom Scientific
that JAWS should read the title attribut on any element especially if it
is different from the attribute that is read by default. For instance screen (or
anchor) text on a link and the title for links, or alt and title for
images. JAWS implements this only for form labels. I have urged FS
to make JAWS read title on list, map, form elements etc... in other words
wherever title is legal.
I have also written to GW Micro but neither has
implemented this as yet. Perhaps needs more lobbying.
Sailesh PanchangSenior Accessibility Engineer Deque
Systems,11180 Sunrise Valley Drive, 4th Floor, Reston VA 20191Tel:
703-225-0380 Extension 105 E-mail: <A
href="mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = "> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = :
703-225-0387* Look up <;<A
href="http://www.deque.com">http://www.deque.com>;; *

From: Austin, Darrel
Date: Tue, Sep 21 2004 12:46PM
Subject: Re: Verdict on TITLE attributes for screen readers (WAS
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> I have repeatedly suggested to Freedom Scientific that JAWS should
> read the title attribut on any element especially if it is different
> from the attribute that is read by default.

Ah, well, if lobbying FS to fix their browser is anything like lobbying MS
to fix there's, I suppose we shouldn't get our hopes up.

It sounds like the major readers do NOT read the title attribute of a link.
Does anyone know what USERS of these screen readers do? This would seem to
be a common problem on a lot of web sites. Is this an option that users of
screen readers would tend to actively set so that their reader DOES read
title attributes?

(This does seem like a ridiculous thing for the screen readers to not read
by default...they're basically ignoring an attribute specifically designed
to increase accessibility.)

-Darrel