Comments on: Lists and Screen Readers http://blackwidows.co.uk/blog/2005/10/13/lists-and-screen-readers/ The meanderings of a black widow... Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:38:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: grant broome http://blackwidows.co.uk/blog/2005/10/13/lists-and-screen-readers/#comment-1124 grant broome Mon, 19 Dec 2005 11:51:38 +0000 http://www.blackwidows.co.uk/blog/?p=43#comment-1124 I agree that even if JAWS gets it wrong, there's little point in punishing the end user if it can easily be avoided. I agree that even if JAWS gets it wrong, there’s little point in punishing the end user if it can easily be avoided.

]]> By: Administrator http://blackwidows.co.uk/blog/2005/10/13/lists-and-screen-readers/#comment-818 Administrator Fri, 14 Oct 2005 15:12:01 +0000 http://www.blackwidows.co.uk/blog/?p=43#comment-818 I'm not going to stop and defend JAWS. I often find it's implementations to be bizarre and illogical. I'm assuming that this is a speech parsing issue where the engine needs additional dictionary entries for 'words' such as "IV." depending upon context, punctuation and spacing but, I freely admit that my knowledge of speech parsing could be written on the back of a postage stamp! However, whilst JAWS does get this wrong, I think we should at least be aware of it and try to avoid this particular bug were at all possible. What's wrong with factoring this into your decision as to which numbering style to use? I agree - the test sample is very small and, as such, the results can't currently be described as much more than 'worth bearing in mind'. I'd dearly like to gather more data. I'll try adding a feedback form to the test page asap and see if I can gather some data on WindowEyes, IBM's HomePage Reader and Opera 8 from colleagues. With regard to the type=""attribute, I think that should be tested separately. Perhaps a second test page replicating the current one but with each list duplicated - once with the type attribute set and once without? That way, we should be able to get some data as to whether setting the type attribute affects overall readability. I’m not going to stop and defend JAWS. I often find it’s implementations to be bizarre and illogical. I’m assuming that this is a speech parsing issue where the engine needs additional dictionary entries for ‘words’ such as “IV.” depending upon context, punctuation and spacing but, I freely admit that my knowledge of speech parsing could be written on the back of a postage stamp!

However, whilst JAWS does get this wrong, I think we should at least be aware of it and try to avoid this particular bug were at all possible. What’s wrong with factoring this into your decision as to which numbering style to use?

I agree - the test sample is very small and, as such, the results can’t currently be described as much more than ‘worth bearing in mind’. I’d dearly like to gather more data. I’ll try adding a feedback form to the test page asap and see if I can gather some data on WindowEyes, IBM’s HomePage Reader and Opera 8 from colleagues.

With regard to the type=”"attribute, I think that should be tested separately. Perhaps a second test page replicating the current one but with each list duplicated - once with the type attribute set and once without? That way, we should be able to get some data as to whether setting the type attribute affects overall readability.

]]> By: Joe Clark http://blackwidows.co.uk/blog/2005/10/13/lists-and-screen-readers/#comment-816 Joe Clark Fri, 14 Oct 2005 14:24:28 +0000 http://www.blackwidows.co.uk/blog/?p=43#comment-816 No, in fact the thing we should do is merely add this to the catalogue of things Jaws gets wrong. It's their problem, not ours. The HTML spec for ordered lists is years old. Also, you didn't test other screen readers or the type="" attribute. At best your results are suggestive. No, in fact the thing we should do is merely add this to the catalogue of things Jaws gets wrong. It’s their problem, not ours. The HTML spec for ordered lists is years old.

Also, you didn’t test other screen readers or the type=”" attribute. At best your results are suggestive.

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