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Re: ARIA modal dialogs only read out focusable items (forms and links)

for

From: Ramya Sethuraman
Date: Jan 4, 2013 11:06AM

This seems to be so common a scenario that it's almost as if we need a new aria attribute just to handle the non-focusable text in the dialog.

I have gotten around the issue by adding an aria-descibedby attribute on a focusable element in the dialog and pointing it to the text although the text doesn't really 'describe' the element...an inelegant solution but at least the screen reader announces the text. This can't be used if the text is more than a few lines long, gets too annoying.

Ramya

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 4, 2013, at 11:22 AM, Jared Smith < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> The behavior you describe is correct. All content within a modal
> dialog is to be keyboard focusable, at least as far as ARIA is
> concerned. This, of course, is not the reality (and, I would argue, is
> the exception for most modal dialogs). One suboptimal solution it to
> somehow make the non-focusable text focusable and then convey this
> non-standard keyboard interaction to the user.
>
> Simply omitting the role="dialog" or "alertdialog" on the modal
> element will keep the screen reader from entering application mode
> (assuming the dialog is not within another element that would trigger
> application mode). This would allow the screen reader to navigate all
> elements within the dialog. The disadvantage of this approach is that
> other navigation mechanisms are also allowed, which makes it very easy
> for the user to navigate away from the modal dialog to other page
> elements - hitting H to navigate headings, for example, would not
> constrain the user to headings within the dialog. This has potential
> to cause great confusion.
>
> There is no perfect solution to these issues (that I'm aware of). It
> seems to me that there should be some mechanism for easily
> navigating/reading non-focusable elements while in application mode
> dialog windows (and tab panels, etc.)
>
> Jared
> > >