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

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From: Julie Romanowski
Date: Oct 11, 2018 9:10AM

As I mentioned in my earlier reply, I know JAWS users who use the tab key along with other key commands to navigate web pages. There are several blind and limited vision JAWS users (from novice to power user) at my company, and as an accessibility specialist, I have worked with every one of them at one time or another. Every single one of them used the tab key to navigate through actionable elements on the screen (not just form elements).

There are a multitude of ways screen reader users can navigate web pages, and as an accessibility specialist, I do my best to test as many of those ways as possible, including using the tab key. In addition, I've run into instances where tab key behavior worked as expected in keyboard-only testing, but failed in screen reader testing (e.g., unable to tab to links or form elements). There have also been a couple of instances where a customer, who was a screen reader user, contacted us to report issues with tabbing to actionable items on pages in our dotcom site, which were missed because the testers didn't try tabbing through all actionable items in their screen reader testing.

I agree that only using the tab key to navigate webpages when doing screen reader testing is a rookie mistake. However, ignoring the tab key or only using it to navigate form controls when doing screen reader testing is also a mistake and can cause the tester to miss some potentially serious accessibility issues.


-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Steve Green
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2018 8:34 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [WebAIM] Where Does The Idea Screen Reader Users Use Tab for Main Navigation Come From?

They use it for certain things, such as forms, but they predominantly use the arrow keys. There are a few very basic screen readers where you do use the Tab key but they have limited capability and are not widely used.

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of Julie Romanowski
Sent: 11 October 2018 14:27
To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Where Does The Idea Screen Reader Users Use Tab for Main Navigation Come From?

Are you implying that screen reader users don't use the tab key for web navigation? I know a few JAWS user (blind or have limited vision) who do use the tab key (among other key commands) for web navigation.

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Steve Green
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2018 8:21 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [WebAIM] Where Does The Idea Screen Reader Users Use Tab for Main Navigation Come From?

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
> >