screen-reader-testing

name	screen-reader-testing
description	Test web applications with screen readers including VoiceOver, NVDA, and JAWS. Use when validating screen reader compatibility, debugging accessibility issues, or ensuring assistive technology support.

Screen Reader Testing

Practical guide to testing web applications with screen readers for comprehensive accessibility validation.

When to Use This Skill

• Validating screen reader compatibility
• Testing ARIA implementations
• Debugging assistive technology issues
• Verifying form accessibility
• Testing dynamic content announcements
• Ensuring navigation accessibility

Core Concepts

1. Major Screen Readers

Screen Reader	Platform	Browser	Usage
VoiceOver	macOS/iOS	Safari	~15%
NVDA	Windows	Firefox/Chrome	~31%
JAWS	Windows	Chrome/IE	~40%
TalkBack	Android	Chrome	~10%
Narrator	Windows	Edge	~4%

2. Testing Priority

Minimum Coverage:
1. NVDA + Firefox (Windows)
2. VoiceOver + Safari (macOS)
3. VoiceOver + Safari (iOS)

Comprehensive Coverage:
+ JAWS + Chrome (Windows)
+ TalkBack + Chrome (Android)
+ Narrator + Edge (Windows)

3. Screen Reader Modes

Mode	Purpose	When Used
Browse/Virtual	Read content	Default reading
Focus/Forms	Interact with controls	Filling forms
Application	Custom widgets	ARIA applications

VoiceOver (macOS)

Setup

Enable: System Preferences → Accessibility → VoiceOver
Toggle: Cmd + F5
Quick Toggle: Triple-press Touch ID

Essential Commands

Navigation:
VO = Ctrl + Option (VoiceOver modifier)

VO + Right Arrow   Next element
VO + Left Arrow    Previous element
VO + Shift + Down  Enter group
VO + Shift + Up    Exit group

Reading:
VO + A             Read all from cursor
Ctrl               Stop speaking
VO + B             Read current paragraph

Interaction:
VO + Space         Activate element
VO + Shift + M     Open menu
Tab                Next focusable element
Shift + Tab        Previous focusable element

Rotor (VO + U):
Navigate by: Headings, Links, Forms, Landmarks
Left/Right Arrow   Change rotor category
Up/Down Arrow      Navigate within category
Enter              Go to item

Web Specific:
VO + Cmd + H       Next heading
VO + Cmd + J       Next form control
VO + Cmd + L       Next link
VO + Cmd + T       Next table

Testing Checklist

## VoiceOver Testing Checklist

### Page Load
- [ ] Page title announced
- [ ] Main landmark found
- [ ] Skip link works

### Navigation
- [ ] All headings discoverable via rotor
- [ ] Heading levels logical (H1 → H2 → H3)
- [ ] Landmarks properly labeled
- [ ] Skip links functional

### Links & Buttons
- [ ] Link purpose clear
- [ ] Button actions described
- [ ] New window/tab announced

### Forms
- [ ] All labels read with inputs
- [ ] Required fields announced
- [ ] Error messages read
- [ ] Instructions available
- [ ] Focus moves to errors

### Dynamic Content
- [ ] Alerts announced immediately
- [ ] Loading states communicated
- [ ] Content updates announced
- [ ] Modals trap focus correctly

### Tables
- [ ] Headers associated with cells
- [ ] Table navigation works
- [ ] Complex tables have captions

Common Issues & Fixes

<!-- Issue: Button not announcing purpose -->
<button><svg>...</svg></button>

<!-- Fix -->
<button aria-label="Close dialog"><svg aria-hidden="true">...</svg></button>

<!-- Issue: Dynamic content not announced -->
<div id="results">New results loaded</div>

<!-- Fix -->
<div id="results" role="status" aria-live="polite">New results loaded</div>

<!-- Issue: Form error not read -->
<input type="email">
<span class="error">Invalid email</span>

<!-- Fix -->
<input type="email" aria-invalid="true" aria-describedby="email-error">
<span id="email-error" role="alert">Invalid email</span>

NVDA (Windows)

Setup

Download: nvaccess.org
Start: Ctrl + Alt + N
Stop: Insert + Q

Essential Commands

Navigation:
Insert = NVDA modifier

Down Arrow         Next line
Up Arrow           Previous line
Tab                Next focusable
Shift + Tab        Previous focusable

Reading:
NVDA + Down Arrow  Say all
Ctrl               Stop speech
NVDA + Up Arrow    Current line

Headings:
H                  Next heading
Shift + H          Previous heading
1-6                Heading level 1-6

Forms:
F                  Next form field
B                  Next button
E                  Next edit field
X                  Next checkbox
C                  Next combo box

Links:
K                  Next link
U                  Next unvisited link
V                  Next visited link

Landmarks:
D                  Next landmark
Shift + D          Previous landmark

Tables:
T                  Next table
Ctrl + Alt + Arrows Navigate cells

Elements List (NVDA + F7):
Shows all links, headings, form fields, landmarks

Browse vs Focus Mode

NVDA automatically switches modes:
- Browse Mode: Arrow keys navigate content
- Focus Mode: Arrow keys control interactive elements

Manual switch: NVDA + Space

Watch for:
- "Browse mode" announcement when navigating
- "Focus mode" when entering form fields
- Application role forces forms mode

Testing Script

## NVDA Test Script

### Initial Load
1. Navigate to page
2. Let page finish loading
3. Press Insert + Down to read all
4. Note: Page title, main content identified?

### Landmark Navigation
1. Press D repeatedly
2. Check: All main areas reachable?
3. Check: Landmarks properly labeled?

### Heading Navigation
1. Press Insert + F7 → Headings
2. Check: Logical heading structure?
3. Press H to navigate headings
4. Check: All sections discoverable?

### Form Testing
1. Press F to find first form field
2. Check: Label read?
3. Fill in invalid data
4. Submit form
5. Check: Errors announced?
6. Check: Focus moved to error?

### Interactive Elements
1. Tab through all interactive elements
2. Check: Each announces role and state
3. Activate buttons with Enter/Space
4. Check: Result announced?

### Dynamic Content
1. Trigger content update
2. Check: Change announced?
3. Open modal
4. Check: Focus trapped?
5. Close modal
6. Check: Focus returns?

JAWS (Windows)

Essential Commands

Start: Desktop shortcut or Ctrl + Alt + J
Virtual Cursor: Auto-enabled in browsers

Navigation:
Arrow keys         Navigate content
Tab                Next focusable
Insert + Down      Read all
Ctrl               Stop speech

Quick Keys:
H                  Next heading
T                  Next table
F                  Next form field
B                  Next button
G                  Next graphic
L                  Next list
;                  Next landmark

Forms Mode:
Enter              Enter forms mode
Numpad +           Exit forms mode
F5                 List form fields

Lists:
Insert + F7        Link list
Insert + F6        Heading list
Insert + F5        Form field list

Tables:
Ctrl + Alt + Arrows Table navigation

TalkBack (Android)

Setup

Enable: Settings → Accessibility → TalkBack
Toggle: Hold both volume buttons 3 seconds

Gestures

Explore: Drag finger across screen
Next: Swipe right
Previous: Swipe left
Activate: Double tap
Scroll: Two finger swipe

Reading Controls (swipe up then right):
- Headings
- Links
- Controls
- Characters
- Words
- Lines
- Paragraphs

Common Test Scenarios

1. Modal Dialog

<!-- Accessible modal structure -->
<div role="dialog"
     aria-modal="true"
     aria-labelledby="dialog-title"
     aria-describedby="dialog-desc">
  <h2 id="dialog-title">Confirm Delete</h2>
  <p id="dialog-desc">This action cannot be undone.</p>
  <button>Cancel</button>
  <button>Delete</button>
</div>

// Focus management
function openModal(modal) {
  // Store last focused element
  lastFocus = document.activeElement;

  // Move focus to modal
  modal.querySelector('h2').focus();

  // Trap focus
  modal.addEventListener('keydown', trapFocus);
}

function closeModal(modal) {
  // Return focus
  lastFocus.focus();
}

function trapFocus(e) {
  if (e.key === 'Tab') {
    const focusable = modal.querySelectorAll(
      'button, [href], input, select, textarea, [tabindex]:not([tabindex="-1"])'
    );
    const first = focusable[0];
    const last = focusable[focusable.length - 1];

    if (e.shiftKey && document.activeElement === first) {
      last.focus();
      e.preventDefault();
    } else if (!e.shiftKey && document.activeElement === last) {
      first.focus();
      e.preventDefault();
    }
  }

  if (e.key === 'Escape') {
    closeModal(modal);
  }
}

2. Live Regions

<!-- Status messages (polite) -->
<div role="status" aria-live="polite" aria-atomic="true">
  <!-- Content updates will be announced after current speech -->
</div>

<!-- Alerts (assertive) -->
<div role="alert" aria-live="assertive">
  <!-- Content updates interrupt current speech -->
</div>

<!-- Progress updates -->
<div role="progressbar"
     aria-valuenow="75"
     aria-valuemin="0"
     aria-valuemax="100"
     aria-label="Upload progress">
</div>

<!-- Log (additions only) -->
<div role="log" aria-live="polite" aria-relevant="additions">
  <!-- New messages announced, removals not -->
</div>

3. Tab Interface

<div role="tablist" aria-label="Product information">
  <button role="tab"
          id="tab-1"
          aria-selected="true"
          aria-controls="panel-1">
    Description
  </button>
  <button role="tab"
          id="tab-2"
          aria-selected="false"
          aria-controls="panel-2"
          tabindex="-1">
    Reviews
  </button>
</div>

<div role="tabpanel"
     id="panel-1"
     aria-labelledby="tab-1">
  Product description content...
</div>

<div role="tabpanel"
     id="panel-2"
     aria-labelledby="tab-2"
     hidden>
  Reviews content...
</div>

// Tab keyboard navigation
tablist.addEventListener('keydown', (e) => {
  const tabs = [...tablist.querySelectorAll('[role="tab"]')];
  const index = tabs.indexOf(document.activeElement);

  let newIndex;
  switch (e.key) {
    case 'ArrowRight':
      newIndex = (index + 1) % tabs.length;
      break;
    case 'ArrowLeft':
      newIndex = (index - 1 + tabs.length) % tabs.length;
      break;
    case 'Home':
      newIndex = 0;
      break;
    case 'End':
      newIndex = tabs.length - 1;
      break;
    default:
      return;
  }

  tabs[newIndex].focus();
  activateTab(tabs[newIndex]);
  e.preventDefault();
});

Debugging Tips

// Log what screen reader sees
function logAccessibleName(element) {
  const computed = window.getComputedStyle(element);
  console.log({
    role: element.getAttribute('role') || element.tagName,
    name: element.getAttribute('aria-label') ||
          element.getAttribute('aria-labelledby') ||
          element.textContent,
    state: {
      expanded: element.getAttribute('aria-expanded'),
      selected: element.getAttribute('aria-selected'),
      checked: element.getAttribute('aria-checked'),
      disabled: element.disabled
    },
    visible: computed.display !== 'none' && computed.visibility !== 'hidden'
  });
}

Best Practices

Do's

• Test with actual screen readers - Not just simulators
• Use semantic HTML first - ARIA is supplemental
• Test in browse and focus modes - Different experiences
• Verify focus management - Especially for SPAs
• Test keyboard only first - Foundation for SR testing

Don'ts

• Don't assume one SR is enough - Test multiple
• Don't ignore mobile - Growing user base
• Don't test only happy path - Test error states
• Don't skip dynamic content - Most common issues
• Don't rely on visual testing - Different experience

Resources

• VoiceOver User Guide
• NVDA User Guide
• JAWS Documentation
• WebAIM Screen Reader Survey