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Re: XHTML tab order and Flash

for

From: deblist@suberic.net
Date: Aug 18, 2009 9:20AM

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009, Andrew Kirkpatrick wrote:

> Deb, what you are describing isn't my experience. I'm interested in learning more about how you get the described behavior to occur. Can you send me a really detailed set of steps to follow?

Sure. Anything to help make the accessibility more functional.

In Firefox (3.0.13), I load the link you included.

Using Mouseless Browsing, I follow the link to "demonstration
test file".

I see a page which says:

"Adobe Flash CS 4 Professional Accessibility
Adobe Accessibility Blog
AccLinkExample Source Code"

Centered, in blue, on a white page, with no clear outline of a
Flash element.

Now I get a really interesting behavior. Immediately upon loading
the page, I still have access to all of my keyboard accelerators
(for example, saying the number of a tab for Mouseless Browsing,
or saying "control L" to get to the address field). However, if I
go to another tab and then immediately return to the Flash tab
(using Mouseless Browsing, saying the number of another tab and
then saying the number of the tab with the Flash demo) I lose all
access to my keyboard accelerators and can no longer use any of
them. However, I can still use the Firefox direct dictation
access to elements in the Navigation toolbar, for example, saying
"Back". If I go backwards by saying "Back" and then forward again
by either saying "Forward" or by accessing the link again, the
behavior reset and once again I can see the Flash demo while
retaining my keyboard access.

What I find on further investigation is that when I am in the
state where I have keyboard access (which I can reliably
re-create by saying "Back" and then "Forward"), I do not have
keyboard access to the Flash. When I am in the state where I have
no keyboard access (which I can reliably re-create by switching
to another tab and then returning), I do have keyboard access to
the Flash. Following a link from the Flash and then returning (by
saying "Back") reliably puts me in the state where I do not have
keyboard access to the Flash, and you have keyboard access to the
browser.

I'm not sure if this is reproducible without Dragon
NaturallySpeaking, so I'm happy to send you a screen cast of me
doing it if that would help.

-deborah