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Re: Where Does The Idea Screen Reader Users Use Tab for Main Navigation Come From?

for

From: Reuben Turk
Date: Oct 11, 2018 7:54AM

Thanks for the info Steve.

I guess the part I'm not understanding relates to this part of the original
post:

"It's harmful when developers make an experience that is only accessible using
tab and I miss it because I'm using the arrow keys."

If the screen reader is doing the heavy lifting in terms of allowing
advanced navigation with various keyboard keys, how does the common
practice of developing for the browsers' default tab-based navigation
inhibit that?


On Fri, 12 Oct 2018 at 00:21, Steve Green < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
wrote:

> The idea that screen reader users use the Tab key for web navigation is
> very common among developers. I see this all the time when we are doing
> screen reader training or pairing with them to fix issues. It's a clear
> indication that they have never had any professional training on assistive
> technologies, which is shocking but absolutely normal. However, it's worth
> noting that the Tab key is used extensively for navigating desktop
> applications.
>
> To address Reuben's question, the arrow keys navigate within the screen
> reader's virtual object model, not the DOM. Depending on what type of
> element has focus in the virtual object model, pressing certain keys such
> as Enter or Spacebar causes a change in the DOM. This only applies to
> websites - desktop applications don't have a virtual object model so
> keystrokes are passed directly to the application.
>
> Steve Green
> Managing Director
> Test Partners Ltd
>
>
>