WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: Wai Aria how useful?

for

From: Phil Teare
Date: Jul 27, 2010 1:51PM

Anyone know a screen-reader I can use on a mac that recognizes Aria live
regions?


Cheers
Phil


Phil Teare,



On 27 July 2010 20:05, < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> " NVDA is rapidly growing in popularity. Whilst it lacks some of the
> functionality that other screen readers provide, it's increasingly used as a
> backup option and in time I think we'll see it gain primary ground as well.
>
> Jaws is undoubtedly the most popular primary option, but the WebAIM
> survey reports that 49% of people use more than one screen reader. Of the
> alternatives, NVDA is the most popular with nearly 26% of people choosing
> it.
> http://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey2/"
>
> I am very familiar with the results of the WebAIM survey. I was one of the
> respondents. I think that the survey supports my view that NVDA in most
> cases it is not the best platform for user testing. Only 3% of respondents
> listed NVDA as their primary screen reader. I believe that user testing
> should be conducted using the user's primary screen reader and browser
> combination unless you are testing for use in a closed environment where the
> user will not have a choice of platform, including their OS, AT and other
> software.
>
> I believe that there is a risk in assuming that the population of survey
> respondents is fully representative of screen reader users in general. My
> gut instinct is that the population may have been a bit more tech savvy. For
> example 10% of the respondents reported that they do not have a disability.
> I would be very surprised to find that 10% of JAWS users do not have a
> disability. I would also expect that 10% is heavily concentrated among
> accessibility experts. Even among the 90% of respondents who reported a
> disability I would not be surprised to learn that there was a
> disproportionate representation of folks who could be considered technology
> and/or accessibility experts. I am not suggesting that the results of the
> survey are invalid, just that some of the more surprising findings such as
> use of multiple screen readers, and recent updates of AT may not truly
> reflect the screen reader user population in general.
>
> NVDA is a good tool for troubleshooting problems. It helps us confirm when
> problems are related to the AT and not the application, document, or system
> under test. We are starting a pilot program to evaluate NVDA and/or SAToGo
> as a supplemental assistive technology for our staff who use a screen
> reader. Since most of our staff who use a screen reader are not
> technologists and most could be considered "average" in their computer
> skills, it will be interesting to get their feedback on the usefulness of a
> second screen reader.
>
> Mike Moore
>
>
>