Accessibility specialists

Screen reader HTML support tables

Posted on by Steve Faulkner in Testing

Tags: Assistive Technology, Code, WCAG

With the addition of Gez Lemon to the editing team, work continues on expanding and improving the HTML and screen reader support information.

Current HTML support tables

So far, we’ve published the following support tables. These are works in progress, and we’re continuing to add others, including combinations such as TalkBack and iOS:

Background to the HTML support tables

Since the start of my accessibility work in 2001 I have had an interest in how screen reader software supports the semantics of HTML elements. I was initially taken by an article (now lost in the interwebs, I have looked, but nowhere to be found) which provided information about how JAWS supported various HTML 4 elements. This interest led me into creating the HTML Accessibility API mappings in 2010 and working on it until editing was taken over solely by Scott O'hara.

By “support”, I mean how HTML elements are communicated to people using the software. For example, how are headings announced? Can people navigate to them easily? What level of interaction is possible? These questions help us understand how well screen readers and other tools support different HTML elements.

I don't know about you, but even though I have used various screen readers as part of my accessibility testing work for many years, I still forget what keystrokes can be used to interact with elements. The HTML support tables help with this as they provide keyboard interaction information for HTML elements.

How we document HTML support

As an example, the data for the <abbr> element from the JAWS and NVDA support tables is reproduced below together with an explanation of what data is documented in each column:

  • Element: name of the HTML element linked to the HTML spec definition of the element
  • Test Case: link to the test case used
  • Represents: Short description of what the element represents
  • Aural UI: What is announced when a person using JAWS or NVDA interacts with the element.
  • Interaction: Ways in which the content can be navigated to and interacted with
  • Supported: if and how the screen reader supports the element semantics
  • Notes: further information

Element Test Case Represents AURAL UI Interaction Supported Notes
 

JAWS

abbr

 abbr test An abbreviation Element content No special commands

JAWS can read title text associated with abbreviations on web pages. To enable this feature, open Settings Center and expand the Web/HTML/PDFs group. Next, expand the Reading group and use the abbreviation and acronym options

 By default

Via preference

 No semantics conveyed by default Note that expansions are not announced by default and that expansions provided using the title attribute are not available to keyboard only users. Refer to Using the HTML title attribute.
NVDA

abbr

 abbr test An abbreviation Element content No special commands No semantics conveyed by default

Note that expansions are not announced by NVDA and that expansions provided using the title attribute are not available to keyboard only users. Refer to Using the HTML title attribute.

Further reading

Next steps

Information about our Assessment service or browse our accessibility foundations posts.

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