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Thread: aria-label vs alt text on linked images
Number of posts in this thread: 6 (In chronological order)
From: Patrick Follmann
Date: Fri, Jan 04 2019 8:08AM
Subject: aria-label vs alt text on linked images
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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
From: Steve Green
Date: Fri, Jan 04 2019 8:18AM
Subject: Re: aria-label vs alt text on linked images
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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
From: Patrick Follmann
Date: Fri, Jan 04 2019 8:30AM
Subject: Re: aria-label vs alt text on linked images
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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 ADDRESS 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
>
>
>
From: Steve Green
Date: Fri, Jan 04 2019 8:53AM
Subject: Re: 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
From: Jonathan Avila
Date: Fri, Jan 04 2019 8:59AM
Subject: Re: aria-label vs alt text on linked images
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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
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From:
Subject: Re: aria-label vs alt text on linked images
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The problem seems to be with specific browser and screen reader
combinations, coupled with the mode of interaction. A very quick test
using this example:
<a href="https://example.com" aria-label="Example website"><img
src="example.png" alt="Example logo"></a>
With Jaws 2019 in Chrome, Firefox, and Edge; with NVDA in Chrome,
Firefox, edge, and IE; with VoiceOver in Safari on iOS; the -label is
announced however you focus on the link.
With Jaws in IE, the alt text is announced however you focus on the
link; with VoiceOver in Safari on MacOS, the alt is announced if you
arrow onto the link, and the -label is announced if you use any other
mode of interaction.
This was a very quick test on a single instance of each combination, so
please treat the results on that basis!
Léonie.
On 04/01/2019 15:30, Patrick Follmann wrote:
> 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 ADDRESS 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
>>
>>
>>