Re: Reading math symbols in Live Regions?

Thanks for your comment Jonathan.
I have not yet tested with JAWS, but both NVDA and VoiceOver do the same thing in this case.

And yes, currently we are just using the character entity. We have not yet implemented MathML, though we have done some testing to do that. 

Our current use case is quite simple. We need to read out the changing value of a force in scientific notation.

To re-focus the question, why would a browser handle the content in a live region differently than in the page itself when delivering it to AT? Both areas of content are in valid content elements. Could this be corrected by the user agents?

A working group on accessible math is very good idea, especially since it is my understanding that Chrome does not support MathML, though that might be in flux. Many kids in schools use Chromebooks, and Edge is becoming a Chromium-based browser.

Taliesin





> On Dec 18, 2018, at 2:44 PM, Cohn, Jonathan <jcohn@air.org> wrote:
> 
> I expect that JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver all behave differently with this issue. Also, are you just putting in the symbol or is it in MathML. Both NVDA and JAWS use Math Plaer in normal reading of MathML expressions, which will convert some phrases and allow interaction.
> 
> I have also seen an issue where MathML can sometimes be spoken as just "x" for the entire expression in the JAWS screen reader.
> 
> Perhaps we need a working group to push accessibility of math, because right now the landscape is difficult. My team will often put in SVG images with alt text rather than using Math when it is known that the end user has AT.
> 
> Jonathan Cohn 
> 
> 
> On 12/18/18, 5:50 AM, "Taliesin Smith" <talilief@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>    Hi folks,
> 
>    I have a strange situation where the HTML character entity for the multiplication symbol (&times;) is read our differently depending on whether it is found in regular web page content or in a content area marked as an aria-live region.
> 
>    The symbol is correctly read out by a screen readers in the body of the page as “times”, but when the same symbol is placed in a content area marked as a live region and read out as an alert, the screen reads the symbol as, “multiplication” rather than “times”.
> 
>    Why would there be this difference?
>    Is there a way to read out math symbols in a live region?
> 
>    Taliesin
> 
>    ~.~.~
>    Also reachable as: Taliesin.Smith@colorado.edu
>    Inclusive Design Researcher
>    PhET Interactive Simulations
>    https://phet.colorado.edu/en/accessibility
>    Physics Department
>    University of Colorado, Boulder
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>

Received on Tuesday, 18 December 2018 13:57:52 UTC