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Re: Is generated content reliably read by screen readers today?

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From: Steve Green
Date: Nov 23, 2018 5:58AM

I have never liked the concept of CSS-generated content and I never use or recommend it, but I guess I'm in the minority because developers love it and there doesn't seem to be much push-back from the accessibility community.

Strictly speaking, it's not a WCAG non-compliance because CSS is an accessibility-supported technology. However, it's not going to work for some people, so it depends if you are satisfied with being WCAG-compliant or if you are aiming for a higher level of real-world accessibility.

CSS-generated content is not exposed to screen readers in Internet Explorer and it never will be. It is not exposed to people viewing with styles turned off unless a fall-back is provided. It may or may not be presented correctly to people who have overridden the stylesheets. That's enough for me to advocate against it, but it's your call.

Steve Green
Managing Director
Test Partners Ltd


-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of Detlev Fischer
Sent: 23 November 2018 09:48
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: [WebAIM] Is generated content reliably read by screen readers today?

Hi,

In 2013, there was a discussion here that stated that some browser / Screenreader combinations did not reliably expose CSS-generated content (via ::before). In the UA / SR combinations I have tried now, 5 years later, CSS-generated text content was exposed and read. While I reckon it is still not a recommended practice to use generated content on all but decorative or supplemental information - is there still a case for calling out such practice as WCAG failure?

Opinions?

Best, Detlev

--
Detlev Fischer
Testkreis
Werderstr. 34, 20144 Hamburg

Mobil +49 (0)157 57 57 57 45

http://www.testkreis.de
Beratung, Tests und Schulungen für barrierefreie Websites


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