A screen reader is a piece of assistive technology that is frequently used by person with visual impairments or learning disabilities. It is also helpful for people learning English (or another language) and for the elderly.
Learn best practices for creating accessible forms and demystifying screen readers to improve web accessibility.
From an accessibility perspective, there is some question about whether to use or to avoid tables. As a general rule, tables are more useful to screen reader users with more skills who know how to use the screen reader tools that assist in navigating a table. Even more important though, is a web developer using tables appropriately and designing them correctly. When to Use a Table Tables ...
Screen readers enable people to use computers without having to see any visual content. Web browsers expose information about the page's content for screen readers (and other AT) to communicate to the user through a representation called the accessibility tree.
Screen readers are also used by people with certain cognitive or learning disabilities, or users who simply prefer audio content over text. Beyond the web, screen readers also work with documents, spreadsheets, and the user’s operating system. Screen readers read content differently from humans. The voice may sound somewhat robotic and monotone.
Instead of having your screen read out loud, you can obtain a refreshable braille display and use your screen reader without audible speech. Before taking a closer look at screen readers and magnifiers, let's talk about the importance of keyboarding and typing skills for accessible computing.
Use the Accessibility Checker in the Office apps with a screen reader to make sure your content is accessible for all audiences.
Screen Reader Review Test with a screen reader to uncover issues with reading order, spelling, dynamic content, and interactive elements. While a little daunting at first, it is an essential and informative step in assessing your content for accessibility.
Should I always test my web content for accessibility using a screen reader? Perhaps. If you know how to use a screen reader, this kind of test can be extremely valuable, especially for more complex or dynamic content. If you don't know how to use a screen reader, testing with a screen reader can be frustrating and counterproductive.
Since introducing VoiceView in 2016 to provide screen reader support for blind and low-vision users navigating Kindle devices, Amazon has continued to expand accessibility features to assist millions of readers worldwide with a wide range of needs, including cognitive or mobility disabilities and challenges with comprehension and readability.
Adding structure to web content makes it more readable and comprehensible to everyone and especially to people with a visual or cognitive impairment that makes reading on-screen content difficult.
Screen Readers A screen reader is software that enables individuals who are blind or have low-vision to use computer devices because it renders visual information coming from the computer into speech or braille. In some devices, screen readers are a built-in accessibility feature that is available without installation.
Testing screen reader accessibility is an essential step in reviewing your content. NVDA is a free screen reader available for download for Windows that reads aloud page content and relevant semantic info (such as headings, lists, and links).
Since some screen readers are multi-lingual, use markup to identify the default language of a document and of any text that deviates from the default. For more information, see the UW Accessible Technology page Identifying Language of a Document and its Parts.
Windows Accessibility Tools: Windows provides several accessibility tools designed to support individuals with various disabilities. For example, Narrator is a screen reader that reads aloud text on the screen for visually impaired users.
The fourth edition of The Windows Screen Reader Primer: All the Basics and More is now out. We are making it available to you for free in Word and ePub formats. It is authored by David Kingsbury, an Assistive Technology Instructor at the Carroll Center for the Blind.
Stick around if you want to better understand e-reader-related adaptive design issues, such as why buttons are important for accessibility and how nerve damage can impact capacitive touch screen usability.
Using NVDA to Evaluate Web Accessibility Home > Articles > Using NVDA to Evaluate Web Accessibility Article Contents Introduction Getting Started Configuring NVDA Reading Navigation Single-key shortcuts Other navigation shortcuts Images Data Tables Forms Focus and Browse modes Practice Introduction NVDA is a free screen reader for Windows computers. This article is designed to help new or ...
