[uf-discuss] Request for help from screen reader users from the BBC

[Alasdair King]

>> I cant see why we cant accept the hAccessibility[2] solution and be done
>> with it and just use a <span>, I believe most screen readers are not set
>> up to read out loud the @title on a span by default.
>
> Has anyone tested this in various screen readers?  If not, on what basis
> would we accept it?

>From the BBC page linked:
"We've looked at quite a few screen readers out of the box and by
default they don't expand abbreviation elements so the user still
hears 19:30 not 2008-05-15T19:30:00+01:00."

I infer that they've tested the screenreaders, they're just worried
there are lots of blind people who have turned on ABBR, and the BBC is
a big, sensitive target. I know blind people are more annoyed about
the lack of audio descriptions in iPlayer, but there'll be some
uber-geek screenreader user in a well-off advocacy group who'll
complain.

People who have problems will be the subset of users who (use a
screenreader) AND (have a screenreader that supports ABBR) AND (have
turned on abbreviation elements) AND (come across hCalendar ABBR
elements) AND (find this one thing the biggest headache in using the
site.) Why not just offer to buy both those people a beer to make up?

I'll mail my screenreader-using friends and ask them to respond anyway.

-- 
Alasdair King