WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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RE: Numbers and JAWS

for

From: sean keegan
Date: Nov 4, 2003 9:53AM

Todd,

I am going to echo Jared's comments on this issue.

While it technically may be possible to "hack" a page to get the desired
response you want (I really don't know in this case), the user may end
up having more difficulty as their assistive technology is no longer
responding in a manner consistent with how the user interacts with it.
I have been involved in several situations where webmasters have created
a page that works exceptionally well for one version of one
screen-reader, only to find out later that the page would not work in
subsequent versions of the screen-reader (or other assistive
technologies). Not the best solution...

A screen-reader user can manipulate their technology to get a specific
type of feedback. This can include how financial information is
presented (i.e., "dollar sign x" or "x dollars"). Better to stick to
standard HTML coding and development than to try and make something work
in only one version of one type of assistive technology. When that one
version changes, it could mean retrofitting a lot of content that you
just got to work.

Good luck,
sean



Sean Keegan
Web Accessibility Instructor
High Tech Center Training Unit for the
California Community Colleges
Cupertino, CA
408.996.6044

-----Original Message-----
From: Jared Smith [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
Sent: Monday, November 03, 2003 5:20 PM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: Re: Numbers and JAWS

Todd-

Short of aural style sheets, which are not a possibility (will they
ever be?), I can't think of an easy way to do this. However, this
brings up a question I have often thought about. Do you ever need to
change
the default behavior of the screen reader to so it speaks in a manner
that most of us would consider normal?

If a screen reader has always spoken "dollar one hundred" for $100,
then changing that default behavior through some workaround or hack
may be more difficult or confusing to a user than letting the browser
perform the way it always has. Sure, some things should be clarified,
such as some (not all) acronyms and and abbreviations, but if a
workaround on your site is presenting content in a way other than
what the user is expecting and has experienced on all of other pages,
then wouldn't this be worse than letting the user decipher the
information the way they are used to.

Just a thought.

Jared Smith
WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind)
Center for Persons with Disabilities
Utah State University



***************
On Monday, November 03, 2003 you sent:
TC> Hi all,
TC> I'm a newbie to accessibility in HTML and I am currently helping
a bank
TC> create a JAWS friendly site. I have a couple of questions I hope
someone can
TC> answer.
TC> I am displaying an account number in a formatted behaviour, ie
1234 1234
TC> 1234 1234 but I was hoping to get JAWS to read each digit as opposed
to 4
TC> numbers. Does Anyone know of any tags, attributes or tricks to help
with this?
TC> We are supporting JAWS 4.5 so CCS 2 audible styles are not a
possible solution
TC> unfortunately.
TC> My second question is if there is any way to make a reader
interperet
TC> currency figures such as $123.00 as "one hundered and twenty three
dollars"
TC> instead of "dollar one hundered and twenty three"? Any assistance
anyone could
TC> provide would be greatly appreciated.

TC> Thanks

TC> Todd.


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


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