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

for

From: Steve Green
Date: Oct 11, 2018 8:05AM

When you use the Tab key to navigate, only focusable elements receive focus, such as links and form controls. By contrast, when you use the arrow keys to navigate through the virtual object model, you can access all the content. Furthermore, in "virtual cursor mode", focusable elements are announced differently.

The consequence is that testing a website by using only the Tab key tells you nothing about how the website will behave in "virtual cursor mode".

A couple of seconds ago on another email list, a blind person said "We've got some internal services, that were purchased from an external provider. The content is forcing screen readers to run in application mode, which was assumed to be ok as screen reader users only use the tab key right?" He is very, very unhappy about that.

The reason that "application mode" is a bad experience when used inappropriately, is that all keystrokes are passed directly to the browser. You can't use any of the usual shortcuts such as pressing H to jump to the next heading. You also can't use the arrow keys to read word by word or letter by letter.

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of Reuben Turk
Sent: 11 October 2018 14:54
To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Where Does The Idea Screen Reader Users Use Tab for Main Navigation Come From?

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
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of
> Brandon Keith Biggs
> Sent: 11 October 2018 12:13
> To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Where Does The Idea Screen Reader Users Use Tab
> for Main Navigation Come From?
>
> Hello Reuben,
> There were several presenters showing how a screen reader works using
> their designs by pressing tab. This was very explicit screen reader
> only usage, so it must be a prevailing sentiment.
> Arrow keys are supposed to read line by line when you press the arrow key.
> I say "If you hit select all, and copy and paste that text into a text
> editor, that is very similar to how I see a webpage".
> Thank you,
>
> Brandon Keith Biggs <http://brandonkeithbiggs.com/>;
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 11, 2018 at 3:37 AM Reuben Turk < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
>
> > Hi Brandon,
> >
> > My impression was that programming for tab navigation isn't really
> > for screen reader users but for users who use only a keyboard to
> > navigate, since browsers support keyboard navigation via tabs.
> >
> > Programming for screen readers to me is more about making sure all
> > your elements are machine readable than worrying about how a screen
> > reader moves between elements.
> >
> > I could be wrong though. I'm not actually sure how screen readers
> > handle translating your arrow keystrokes into navigation of elements
> > in the browser, although I'm interested to do some investigations now.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Reuben.
> >
> > On Thu, 11 Oct 2018 at 21:19, Brandon Keith Biggs <
> > <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> >
> > > Hello,
> > >
> > > Does anyone know where the idea that screen reader users mostly
> > > use tab
> > to
> > > navigate comes from?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I've been using and teaching screen reader usage on Windows,
> > > Linux, and
> > IOS
> > > for over 15 years and I would say I press most keys on my keyboard
> > > more than I press my tab key. My navigation keys are the arrow
> > > keys and
> > browser
> > > mode navigation keys. Tab is used in select situations when it is
> > > either impossible or time-consuming to navigate using the arrow
> > > keys. If you use tab to navigate, you miss lots of information,
> > > such as everything in <p>
> > or
> > > <h*> elements. Contrary to what I see accessibility professionals
> > > saying, tab is not how I move through a page at all. In fact, I
> > > would say 90% of web pages I visit I never press the tab key. When
> > > I teach people how to
> > use
> > > the screen reader, I tell them only to use tab to navigate between
> > > form fields because it is faster. Otherwise, use the arrow keys
> > > because you
> > get
> > > much more information.
> > >
> > > Does anyone know why tab is considered to be the main way screen
> > > reader users navigate? Are there studies showing that tab is
> > > really the way
> > screen
> > > reader users navigate?
> > >
> > > 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.
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > >
> > > Brandon Keith Biggs <http://brandonkeithbiggs.com/>;
> > > > > > > > > archives at http://webaim.org/discussion/archives
> > > > > >
> > > > > > archives at http://webaim.org/discussion/archives
> > > >
> > > archives at http://webaim.org/discussion/archives
> > > > archives at http://webaim.org/discussion/archives
> >