WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: Definition Lists and Accessibility

for

From: Lucy Greco
Date: Aug 21, 2015 10:13AM

hello:
you said' arrowing down the items' well here may be the problem. if you
are using the screen reader properly you should not arrow thru a list,
definition or not. you should use the item by item navigation.
once your in the list use i to move thru it and see if that makes a
difference.
as an " "expert" screen reader user i did not know this my self for
several years. this is why if you are wanting to test properly with a
screen reader its best to get reel users and more then one smile. Lucy

On Thu, Aug 20, 2015 at 2:49 PM, Dennis Deacon < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> Thanks again for this valuable discussion.
>
> Dennis Deacon
>
> On Sat, Aug 15, 2015 at 2:48 PM, Dennis Deacon < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> wrote:
>
> > Thanks for the information on how screen readers handle definition lists.
> > And I agree about the slippery slope; reminds me when the web standards
> > movement first started.
> >
> > One more question: would there be a way to use definition lists for
> > semantic purposes, while temporarily hacking them so screen readers don't
> > become confused?
> >
> > Dennis Deacon
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Aug 15, 2015 at 10:59 AM, Dennis Deacon < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> I've been a fan of definition lists for a while now. I use them when
> have
> >> have a list of paired information, such as a FAQ. To me, this makes
> >> semantic sense.
> >>
> >> During the past few months however, I have receive a sizable amount of
> >> feedback stating that definition lists can confuse screen reader users
> and
> >> should be avoided, with the exception of possibly a glossary of terms.
> >> While my intent is to do what is accessible, I can't get past the
> semantics
> >> of a definition list making sense in other cases. Admittedly, I used it
> >> more for layout of information, but I've drifted away from that.
> >>
> >> Can someone point out specific information on how definition lists can
> >> confuse screen reader users, and the best alternative for paired lists?
> >>
> >> --
> >> Dennis Deacon
> >> Email: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> >> Website/Portfolio: dennisdeacon.com
> >> Blog: dennisdeacon.com/blog
> >> LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/dennisdeacon
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Dennis Deacon
> > Email: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> > Website/Portfolio: dennisdeacon.com
> > Blog: dennisdeacon.com/blog
> > LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/dennisdeacon
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Dennis Deacon
> Email: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> Website/Portfolio: dennisdeacon.com
> Blog: dennisdeacon.com/blog
> LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/dennisdeacon
> > > > >



--
Lucia Greco
Web Accessibility Evangelist
IST - Architecture, Platforms, and Integration
University of California, Berkeley
(510) 289-6008 skype: lucia1-greco
http://webaccess.berkeley.edu
Follow me on twitter @accessaces