WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: Dot Leaders Should Be Seen, but Not heard

for

From: Mark Harcourt
Date: Apr 12, 2021 12:54PM

Thank you, Jean-Pierre. I am very new to the world of accessibility and I
appreciate your being patient with what might seem to be basic questions.
Fortunately, my father taught me at an early age that the only foolish
questions are those that don't get asked. So I've never been one fearful of
asking questions that reveal my ignorance.

I agree with you that dot leaders are a visual cue that is meaningless for
screen reader agents. I'm seeking to have the cake and eat it too. Does
that makes me arrogant? I hope not. :) Regardless, I thank you again very
much.

Cheers.

Mark Harcourt


On Mon, Apr 12, 2021 at 2:37 PM JP Jamous < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> In addition to Glen's great feedback, it is important to understand that
> every screen reader handles non-alphanumeric characters differently. For
> example, JAWS by default announces the first 3 characters and omits the
> rest. So you only hear, "---" when the screen shows "--------------------".
>
> While you cannot control how screen readers announce your content, Glen is
> correct about hiding that from screen reader users. Some users or
> developers do not like that, but it is a double-edged sword. You have to
> pick either this or that.
>
> Personally, I do not care for those visual contents as long as I am
> reading web pages. If I am doing Word editing, I change my screen reader
> settings to ensure the visual presentation is being conveyed properly. So
> if you are concerned about how it would be announced, I'd suggest to
> silence it or hide it. Your users who are browsing just want the content
> that allows them to make a decision.
>
>
>
>
>
> =================================================> Jean-Pierre Jamous
> Principal Digital Accessibility Engineer
> Jepelsy LLC
>
> W: (952) 666-2930
> M: (952) 666-2930
> <EMAIL REMOVED>
>
> "The only limitations in life are those we set for ourselves"
> =================================================>
>
>