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Re: Screen Readers as a Development Tool for Web Developers

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From: Richard Hulse
Date: Jul 17, 2015 2:20PM

I agree.

The best place to learn is someone who uses a screen reader full time. Or better still several people.

That'll give you a chance to see how different people discover what content is on a page, and how they interact with sites they already know.

You should also find your local screen reader mailing list if there is one and join it. This can give a unique perspective.

The problem is not how to use a screen reader, but how real people use them and how your understanding of that shapes the way you do testing.

At the very least it'll ensure you don't create pages that make no sense, and that the basics work correctly.

I do recommend real screen reader users for complex apps.

> On 18/07/2015, at 4:44 am, Dennis Deacon < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
>
> I started my inquiry on Twitter, but wanted to get more feedback on this.
>
> It is my opinion that web developers need to have a certain level of
> expertise with using a screen reader to test their work during development.
> I have run into a few with a similar point of view. However, the majority
> of feedback has stated that this is an unrealistic expectation. I myself
> find it difficult to hand over work to someone else to test without having
> testing it myself.
>
> I'd love to hear the opinion of others. I myself am a novice screen reader
> user and have looked for training specifically for developers. Beyond the
> online cheat sheets, there are none.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
>
> Dennis Deacon
> > > >