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Re: How do screen readers render html (can layout of page be implied from screen reader presentation)

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From: Rakesh.Paladugula@cognizant.com
Date: Aug 29, 2010 10:03PM

Hi Birkir,
Screen reader does not behave as screen reader as the name represent for webpages. A screen reader infact reads the source code of the webpage and stores in a buffer. It takes out all the tags and give the exact information to the user without the code.
Eg: If there is a code is written in the html page as <h1> W3c-WAI</h1> a screen reader reads the code and remove the tags <h1></h1> in its buffer. In its place it adds heading level 1 and present the information as "Heading level 1 W3c-WAI".
And as the screen reader reads the source code, it presents the information which it encounters first in the source first and so on.
eg:
If I see a group of links at the beginning of my Jaws page, can I
reasonably assume it is in the top left corner of the page as
renderred on the screen in my favorite web browser?
No, it might not be. It will be only the first set of links that are in your source document.

I might not be the best. Senior listers may help you better.
Hope it helps.
Thanks & regards
Rak
First we shape our tools, then our tools shape us.

-----Original Message-----
From: <EMAIL REMOVED> [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Birkir Rúnar Gunnarsson
Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2010 12:46 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: [WebAIM] How do screen readers render html (can layout of page be implied from screen reader presentation)

Hello listers

I am wondering if anyone can give me a link or overview on how a
screen reader, in the absence of specific techniques such as tab
order, renders an html page.
Is it always from left to right, top to bottom of the page?
If I see a group of links at the beginning of my Jaws page, can I
reasonably assume it is in the top left corner of the page as
renderred on the screen in my favorite web browser?
I am trying to Google this but find nothing concrete about it.
If anyone has an article or knowledge about this it'd be very valuable.
Thank you
-Birkir