E-mail List Archives

Search E-mail List Archives for

Number of posts in this thread: 3 (In chronological order)

From: Alan Zaitchik
Date: Thu, Jan 02 2020 5:50PM
Subject: PDF tables (again): NVDA, VO not reading headers
No previous message | Next message →

I have tried every combination I can think of to get NVDA and VO to read
all column headers and row headers in a table I am remediating, but to no
avail. JAWS handles the table nicely, and the table shows no errors in PAC
1.3 or PAC 3. But NVDA and VO have (different) problems. Suggestions most
welcome!
The table has 2 columns, each with a simple column header cell in row 1.
Also, each data row in the table has a row header in the row's column 1
cell. But the problem comes from the fact that every group of rows is
introduced by a 2-column-wide (table spanning) row that describes the
"group" of rows that follow. For example, the main column headers are
"Fund" and "Fee", but the group "titles" are like "Mutual funds" or
"Stocks", etc.
I have tried setting up these group titles as column headers for the rows
that follow, using generated unique IDs and the data cells' "Headers"
attribute. I have also tried using the Scope attribute. I have also tried
mixing both the above. I have also simply left these titles as (colspan=2)
data cells rather than making them header cells!
No matter how I twist and turn NVDA and VO have problems (but not JAWS).
Specifically, VO will read the column headers in row 1 ("Fund" and "Fee)
but ignore row headers. NVDA announces row headers but not the column 2 row
1 header "Fee". (It does announce the column 1 row 1 header "Fund"!)
Neither screen reader announces the group title column headers, but truly
that matters less to me (and I'm happy to leave them as data cells with
content tagged as a Heading to support easy navigation through the table.)

It seems to me that the mere colspan of these title cells interferes
somehow with NVDA and VO. Is that so?

Any ideas?
A

From: chagnon
Date: Thu, Jan 02 2020 9:39PM
Subject: Re: PDF tables (again): NVDA, VO not reading headers
← Previous message | Next message →

Did you tag/mark up the table per the current standards?
If so, then it's a failure of the assistive technology to process the
content. They too must follow the standards for this entire process to work
for the end user.

Tell Apple and NVDA about the problem.

- - -
Bevi Chagnon, founder/CEO | = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
- - -
PubCom: Technologists for Accessible Design + Publishing
consulting . training . development . design . sec. 508 services
Upcoming classes at www.PubCom.com/classes
- - -
Latest blog-newsletter - Accessibility Tips at www.PubCom.com/blog

From: Dominic Capuano (gmail)
Date: Mon, Jan 06 2020 7:32AM
Subject: Re: PDF tables (again): NVDA, VO not reading headers
← Previous message | No next message

Alan,

Is it possible for you to share an example of the PDF? Something with
placeholder data?

How is the PDF being created? Acrobat? InDesign? Word?

Dominic Capuano, MS
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =