Re: Tuesday, Sept 12 Team B meeting

I took an action item on how the Japanese screen readers support the
"HTML Techniques for supplementing link text with the link context"
for 2.4.4[1].

First of all, in Japan, the number of the JAWS users are very limited
and we don't have the Japanese version of Window-Eyes. The most
popular screen reader in Japan is PC-Talker XP. And IBM HPR is also
popular among the blind users.
This situation differs from that of the English-speaking countries.

I tested the examples in the Techniques H20 document[2] with
"PC-Talker XP". The Japanese version of JAWS and HPR would have the
same functions as each of the English version has. So I tested with
PC-Talker only at this time.

PC-Talker XP reads the text just before the a element by "Ctrl + up arrow".
So it supports:
 - Example 1
 - Example 2, but the link text "HTML version" only
 - Example 3

On the other hand, the followings don't work with PC-Talker XP:
 - The link text "PDF version" in Example 2 (read only "," just before the link)
 - Example 4

In Example 4, PC-Talker XP can read the preceding link text. But it is
just because the text just before the link is the preceding link text.
If there are any other text just before the link than the preceding
link text, PC-Talker will read the other text, not the preceding link
text.

Regarding the title attribute, PC-Talker XP reads only the value of
the title attribute instead of the link text when the title attribute
is used with the a element.

Additionally PC-Talker doesn't have:
 - Table mode
 - Heading navigation function
So it can't read the link text combined with its enclosing table cell
and associated table headings. And it can't read the link text with
the h1-h6 elements.

In general, the function of the Japanese screen readers is poor. The
reality is that the content may be inaccessible for the Japanese
screen reader users even if it would be an user agent issue, not the
author's faults.

Please feel free to ask me any questions on this issue.

[1] http://trace.wisc.edu/wcag_wiki/index.php?title=How_to_Meet_Success_Criterion_2.4.4
[2] http://www.w3.org/TR/2006/WD-WCAG20-TECHS-20060427/Overview.html#H20


Cheers,
Makoto

Received on Wednesday, 13 September 2006 11:12:57 UTC