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Re: aria-label vs alt text on linked images

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From: Jonathan Avila
Date: Jan 4, 2019 8:59AM

There are many similar types of issues we have run into as well with different types of navigation. I'd encourage people to log any issues with JAWS on the JAWS standards support github page and check out the issues that are listed there.
https://github.com/FreedomScientific/VFO-standards-support

Jonathan

Jonathan Avila, CPWA
Chief Accessibility Officer
Level Access
<EMAIL REMOVED>
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-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of Steve Green
Sent: Friday, January 4, 2019 10:54 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] aria-label vs alt text on linked images

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I just built a test page and can confirm that the difference in behaviour is due to you using different means of navigation. In Internet Explorer 11 with JAWS 2018 I get the following behaviours:

When you tab to the link, the "aria-label" attribute is announced.
When you "arrow" to the link using virtual cursor, the "alt" attribute is announced.

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of Patrick Follmann
Sent: 04 January 2019 15:31
To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] aria-label vs alt text on linked images

Thanks Steve, I appreciate your response and understand the question about why both are used.

It was mostly just an experiment based on client feedback -- and we know that those of us who only heard the aria-label are using default settings on our screen reader software and the three of us have the same browser versions and we are all tabbing through the page to hear what is announced.
I am not sure about the colleague who is hearing only alt text though, except I know he is using the same screen reader versions.

Patrick



On Fri, Jan 4, 2019 at 10:18 AM Steve Green < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
wrote:

> There are lots of reasons why this might happen, such as:
>
> Different methods of navigation, such as tabbing or virtual cursor.
> Different behaviours in different versions of the same assistive
> technology product. These are not usually mentioned in the release
> notes so you only find them by experimentation.
> Different behaviours between browsers.
> Different configuration settings in the assistive technology.
>
> Why do you have an "aria-label" attribute if the images have "alt"
> attributes?
>
> Steve Green
> Managing Director
> Test Partners Ltd
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of
> Patrick Follmann
> Sent: 04 January 2019 15:09
> To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> Subject: [WebAIM] aria-label vs alt text on linked images
>
> Hello,
>
> Some colleagues and I are getting different results when using screen
> readers with linked image that have no link text but have an
> aria-label attribute in the a tag and an alt attribute in the img tag.
> (tabbing to the
> image)
>
> One colleague is hearing screen readers (VoiceOver, JAWS and NVDA with
> various browsers) read only the alt text. The rest of us are hearing
> only the aria-label announced.
>
> What is expected behavior and why might we be getting different results?
> We'd like to solve the mystery so we don't have conflicting results in
> the future.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Patrick
> > > archives at http://webaim.org/discussion/archives
> > > > archives at http://webaim.org/discussion/archives
> >