Moving focus with a screen reader and switch access control - is there a difference?

[Rogers N.E.]

FAO: The WAI IG

I am currently undertaking accessibility tests using an Android Nexus 5 on a responsive web site using the Firefox mobile browser 62.0.3.

I tested a particular page and the focus with a green box could be moved to every option on the page using Talkback and a single swipe gesture left or right. However, when using the Switch Access Control (Next & Previous mapped to hard volume up & down buttons) only one option on the same web page could be navigated to using the default red box focus.

This prompted the question: is there a difference in the way a screen reader and switch access control operate when accessing the DOM, what is actually taking place under the hood, particularly for the switch access control?

I have tried to find this out on the web without success. I would value help in understanding this further.

Many thanks,

Neil.

____

Neil Rogers
ID: 27222853
University of Southampton
Electronics and Computer Science,
Web and Internet Science Group, Building 32
http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/people/nrer1g14

[Patrick H. Lauke]

Post by Rogers N.E.
FAO: The WAI IG
I am currently undertaking accessibility tests using an Android Nexus 5
on a responsive web site using the Firefox mobile browser 62.0.3.
I tested a particular page and the focus with a green box could be moved
to every option on the page using Talkback and a single swipe gesture
left or right. However, when using the Switch Access Control (Next &
Previous mapped to hard volume up & down buttons) only one option on the
same web page could be navigated to using the default red box focus.
This prompted the question: is there a difference in the way a screen
reader and switch access control operate when accessing the DOM, what is
actually taking place under the hood, particularly for the switch access
control?
I have tried to find this out on the web without success. I would value
help in understanding this further.

It's the difference between the virtual cursor of screen readers (like
TalkBack) and focus. TalkBack needs to be able to move through
everything in the page so that the user can read things - not just
focusable elements, but static text etc. This is the virtual cursor.

Switch access, like keyboard access using, for instance, TAB/SHIFT-TAB,
only moves between focusable elements, as it's used by sighted users who
don't need to place any kind of focus/cursor on static/non-focusable
content in order to read it.

P

[Jonathan Avila]

In this case the issue could be with Firefox and switch control -- you might try Chrome with Switch control. We have seen a decrease in reliability for Firefox on Android for Talkback users as well.

Jonathan


-----Original Message-----
From: Patrick H. Lauke <***@splintered.co.uk>
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2018 7:46 PM
To: w3c-wai-***@w3.org
Subject: Re: Moving focus with a screen reader and switch access control - is there a difference?

Post by Rogers N.E.
FAO: The WAI IG
I am currently undertaking accessibility tests using an Android Nexus
5 on a responsive web site using the Firefox mobile browser 62.0.3.
I tested a particular page and the focus with a green box could be
moved to every option on the page using Talkback and a single swipe
gesture left or right. However, when using the Switch Access Control
(Next & Previous mapped to hard volume up & down buttons) only one
option on the same web page could be navigated to using the default red box focus.
This prompted the question: is there a difference in the way a screen
reader and switch access control operate when accessing the DOM, what
is actually taking place under the hood, particularly for the switch
access control?
I have tried to find this out on the web without success. I would
value help in understanding this further.

It's the difference between the virtual cursor of screen readers (like
TalkBack) and focus. TalkBack needs to be able to move through everything in the page so that the user can read things - not just focusable elements, but static text etc. This is the virtual cursor.

Switch access, like keyboard access using, for instance, TAB/SHIFT-TAB, only moves between focusable elements, as it's used by sighted users who don't need to place any kind of focus/cursor on static/non-focusable content in order to read it.

P
--
Patrick H. Lauke

www.splintered.co.uk | https://github.com/patrickhlauke http://flickr.com/photos/redux/ | http://redux.deviantart.com
twitter: @patrick_h_lauke | skype: patrick_h_lauke

[Rogers N.E.]

Patrick and Jonathan,

Thank you both for your help. I understand this much better now and will test in Chrome with Switch Control.

Neil


-----Original Message-----
From: Jonathan Avila [mailto:***@levelaccess.com]
Sent: 26 October 2018 14:04
To: w3c-wai-***@w3.org
Subject: RE: Moving focus with a screen reader and switch access control - is there a difference?

In this case the issue could be with Firefox and switch control -- you might try Chrome with Switch control. We have seen a decrease in reliability for Firefox on Android for Talkback users as well.

Jonathan


-----Original Message-----
From: Patrick H. Lauke <***@splintered.co.uk>
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2018 7:46 PM
To: w3c-wai-***@w3.org
Subject: Re: Moving focus with a screen reader and switch access control - is there a difference?

Post by Rogers N.E.
FAO: The WAI IG
I am currently undertaking accessibility tests using an Android Nexus
5 on a responsive web site using the Firefox mobile browser 62.0.3.
I tested a particular page and the focus with a green box could be
moved to every option on the page using Talkback and a single swipe
gesture left or right. However, when using the Switch Access Control
(Next & Previous mapped to hard volume up & down buttons) only one
option on the same web page could be navigated to using the default red box focus.
This prompted the question: is there a difference in the way a screen
reader and switch access control operate when accessing the DOM, what
is actually taking place under the hood, particularly for the switch
access control?
I have tried to find this out on the web without success. I would
value help in understanding this further.

It's the difference between the virtual cursor of screen readers (like
TalkBack) and focus. TalkBack needs to be able to move through everything in the page so that the user can read things - not just focusable elements, but static text etc. This is the virtual cursor.

Switch access, like keyboard access using, for instance, TAB/SHIFT-TAB, only moves between focusable elements, as it's used by sighted users who don't need to place any kind of focus/cursor on static/non-focusable content in order to read it.

P
--
Patrick H. Lauke

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