WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

RE: Screen readers and telephone numbers

for

From: Paul Bohman
Date: Mar 3, 2003 10:32AM


Ideally screen readers would be able to recognize phone numbers. Home Page
Reader *does* read phone numbers correctly (pronouncing each number
individually). Window Eyes does not. I don't believe JAWS does either, but I
don't currently have it installed.

Even so, people who use screen readers are generally able to understand
phone numbers when they are spoken. It is more confusing to new users than
to experienced users. As Jukka said, as long as the number is written in a
standard format, most screen reader users should be able to figure out that
it is a phone number. Having the text "phone number" next to the number
could minimize confusion if you think there may be some.

It is a screen reader issue more than a developer issue.

Paul Bohman
Technology Coordinator
WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind)
www.webaim.org
Center for Persons with Disabilities
www.cpd.usu.edu
Utah State University
www.usu.edu

---
*Register now*
WebAIM's Online Web Accessibility Training Event 2003
at www.webaim.org/training2003/

Dates: March 31-April 18

This event offers invaluable instruction and resources for developers,
managers/administrators, and accessibility trainers. Be a part of it!
---



-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Lloyd (Accessify.com) [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 8:39 AM
To: webaim
Subject: Screen readers and telephone numbers


What is the best way to mark up telephone numbers in
web pages to aid screen readers pronounce them
correctly?

Ideally, we don't really want a six-digit number
verbalised as "Three hundred and forty eight thousand,
two hundred and ninety one"!

Would appreciate your comments on this.

Regards



====Ian Lloyd
Accessify - http://www.accessify.com/
Who am i? - http://www.webstandards.org/about/bios/illoyd.html

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Everything you'll ever need on one web page
from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my.yahoo.com


----
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view list archives,
visit http://www.webaim.org/discussion/



----
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view list archives,
visit http://www.webaim.org/discussion/