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Re: Screen Readers as a Development Tool for Web Developers

for

From: Jennifer Sutton
Date: Jul 17, 2015 12:44PM

As evidenced by a recent thread:
http://webaim.org/discussion/mail_thread?threadp00

specifically this message from me:
http://webaim.org/discussion/mail_message?id(769

I continue to believe that expecting folks to learn how to use screen
readers is not going to scale. And it too often takes people down rat
holes that are not important. I find that this is especially so when
folks have never seen real people who use a screen reader. Using a
screen reader is not like using a browser.

Examples include both the difficulties people are having with
understanding how to implement ARIA correctly, as well as, as far as
I am concerned, the issues that are going to increasingly arise with
the implementation of accessible SVG.

I realize what a complex issue this is (again, as evidenced by the
thread cited above), but it seems to me that we've been having this
expectation for many years, and it's not working particularly well.
If it were, we'd all be going out of business. [Some of you may not
have that objective, but I do, even if my bank account may disagree.]

So, as I see it, we need a new way, and it seems to me that that way
will involve meeting devs and designers where they are, i.e.
including relevant prompts (and visual replication of screen reader
standard behaviors) in the off-the-shelf (commercial or opensource)
tools they're already using.

If I were independently wealthy, and if I were a coder, I'd shut up
and do it myself.

Dennis, for the record, this conversation has gone on many times in
the past. Below my name are a small selection of links that, while
they may have an older perspective, still outline the issues, I believe.

My conclusion: we have no choice, today, but I believe a paradigm
shift would pay off hugely. And it *could* be (though I have no
evidence for this, except hope) that digital publishers might be of
great help in getting us there, given the large quantity of content
and increasing requirements they have.

Best,
Jennifer
[hereby promising not to continue to step up on this Soap Box]

Should Sighted Developers Use Screenreaders To Test
Accessibility Accessibility NZ
http://accessibility.net.nz/blog/should-sighted-developers-use-screenreaders-to-test-accessibility/

Setting up a screen reader test environment
http://www.iheni.com/screen-reader-testing/

Screen reader tips for Web Designers and Developers
http://davidakennedy.com/2014/11/10/screen-reader-tips/

webaim Testing with Screen Readers - Questions and Answers
http://webaim.org/articles/screenreader_testing/