Online navigation works quite similarly to offline navigation, only the tools differ greatly.
Resources & Links Mentioned
Full blog post & show notes: How Blind People Navigate the World (On and Offline) written blog on A11y News
WebAIM Screen‑Reader User Survey (2024)
Got a specific accessibility challenge? Drop a comment here or bring it to the upcoming live sessions at Wagtail Space or DevFest Vienna.
Subscribe to A11y News for increased literacy.
Happy yapping!
Online Navigation
For online navigation, we mainly have zoom, screen magnifiers, and screen readers (or SR for short). Screen readers can be a bit intimidating at first. You boot them up and suddenly everything starts talking! While text-to-speech (or TTS for short) is the intended functionality of text-to-speech screen readers (shocking, I know), it is overwhelming at first. Monotone, technical-sounding voices are simply not a joy to listen to, especially when you have to concentrate on understanding what exactly these voices are describing to you. On another note: Braille displays peacefully coexist with TTS screen readers and are a staple for web access!
It’s time to talk about the oh-so-dreaded screen reader testing!
So screen readers read what’s on the screen? Wrong! They read what you wrote into your code! While a software tester who uses a mouse and screen might not notice that your menu exit button is actually a styled div, the SR will.
This is where the accessibility tree comes into play. The accessibility tree is how SR and other assistive tech users navigate through a website, climbing along heading levels and structures to find the desired information. The accessibility tree is sprouted by the browser based on the DOM (shorthand for Document Object Model) tree and accessed by platform-specific Accessibility APIs.
The DOM tree contains objects representing all the markup’s elements, attributes, and text nodes. This is precisely why following the h1, h2, h3 … heading structure is important. When you skip heading levels, you cut off the branches that assistive tech needs for a sound climbing route.
But not all screen readers are the same.
The same code, on the same device, and in the same browser, can produce 2 different outputs when read with different screen readers. That doesn’t mean that one is better than the other; they both get the job done.
What Screen Reader Setup is best for Testing?
Classic UX answer: it depends. Luckily, WebAIM looks into that for us! In early 2024, JAWS and NVDA came out on top with 40.5% and 37.7% respectively. The 3rd place on the podium took VoiceOver with 9.7%. As for browsers, the big 3 are Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.
Offline Navigation
The White Cane
She’s an icon, she’s a legend, and she is not only at the moment but a consistently reliable tool for obstacle detection. Reliable because it detects obstacles, floor texture, drop-off points, or stairs going up and down.
Guide Dogs
Training takes around 18 months to 2 years in a “puppy boarding school” and includes socialization, basic obedience, and specific keyword training for everyday actions. Not every puppy gets to graduate! The most important criterion is the dog’s ability to focus only on their handler and ignore distractions.
According to the International Guide Dog Federation, only around 23.000 dogs are on active duty. Most dogs work up to the age of 10, but this varies depending on the guide pair. The 10th birthday isn’t necessarily the definitive retirement day, but around that time, handlers will start to notice a decline in concentration or less excitement to work from their dog.
Braille
Braille is a code made up of raised dots that can be read with your fingertips. Braille is not a language; it’s a script code. Think of how the Vietnamese language uses the Latin script, yet that doesn’t mean that people who speak Latin-based languages can read Vietnamese.
It is an important tool for literacy. While Text-to-Speech screen readers are awesome, relying exclusively on audio output can lead to limited literacy and a decrease in vocabulary over time.
Refreshable Braille Displays
In the tech world, there are refreshable Braille displays or Braille screen readers. They do exactly the same thing as Text-to-Speech screen readers, but with text output. How many letters they display at once depends on the size.
Refreshable braille displays function by pushing individual pins up into the right position to form a braille letter. Each braille character cell holds 6 pins in a 2 by 3 arrangement. At the bottom of each pin is an actuator that gives the pin the command to jump up or stay put.
Braille Keyboards and displays have braille tables integrated. In addition to 6-dot braille, there’s also 8-dot braille. The additional 2 pins allow for special characters beyond the standard Latin alphabet.
Braille is pretty neat, right?
