Or, should users take control by using tab key and navigating through the page, having the screen reader read the content where the cursor focus is? For example, a user might switch to reading one character at a time in order to clarify a phone number, or disambiguate words which are homophones. Or they can keep reading everything until the user says stop.Ĭonfident screen reader users will often swap between these different approaches on the fly. This way users can read the content at a pace which suits them, or go back and read something again. Typically they use the arrow keys or a touchscreen swipe per chunk. They can also read various sized chunks one at a time: block, line, word, or character. Screen readers can start reading a page automatically, or wait until the user asks for it. When my user opens the page, should screen readers read the content on my page automatically, element by element, from top to bottom? Screen readers provide different ways to move around operable and non-operable content.

Paragraphs, sentences, and headings aren't operable all you can do is read them. Links, buttons, and form inputs are operable you can make them do something. It indicates you have some non-operable content on the page.

This web application contains various pages, and each page can have paragraphs with links, form input fields, collapsible sections and buttons. I am designing a web application, which can be accessed by any visually impaired person. The important thing is to ensure the content is well organized (using semantic markup) so that users can digest the content using whichever of the screen reader's features suits them. There's no need for designers, developers, or authors to try to manage this on the user's behalf.

Screen readers provide a variety of ways to move around the content. Both, and more, but it's up to the user to decide how to use their screen reader!

Accessibility screen reader