Re: Global Shortcut Keys and Screen Reader Accessibility?

I think I was confused by the term "global  keyboard shortcut", thinking
you we're meaning on any and all screen (web pages) that had video.  It
wouldn't work or at least it would be scary to turn on multiple videos at
once if the page had multiple videos queue up on the page for the user to
select, so not a good scenario for a "global" hot key.

If you're referring to just your simulation app, where you control the
single page of the app, then you are free to create hotkeys that are
effective anywhere on the page without requiring focus to easily control
the multiple different inputs and play/pause, step forward/stop, etc.

I was involved with a middle school level photosynthesis simulation app
years ago that had many separate controls for quickly changing the
sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, etc. as the simulation progressed.
___________
Regards,
Phill Jenkins
Slack:  #accessibility-at-ibm
Check out the new system for requesting an IBM product Accessibility
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pjenkins@us.ibm.com
Accessibility Executive
IBM Accessibility




From:	Taliesin Smith <talilief@gmail.com>
To:	WAI IG <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Date:	04/15/2020 08:41 AM
Subject:	[EXTERNAL] Global Shortcut Keys and Screen Reader
            Accessibility?



Hi Folks,
I am looking into the feasibility of global hotkey or Keyboard Shortcut
that would toggle a Pause/Play button in a simulated learning environment
regardless of where the keyboard focus is currently at in the application.

While the Pause/Play button interaction is somewhat akin to how a video
player works, it is not exactly the same kind of experience in our
situation.

We are currently working on a science simulation called Molecules and Light
(note to hear the interactive descriptions you need to use a screen reader
- VO & Safari, NVDA & FF or JAWS & Chrome).

In this simulated environment a learner turns a light source to fire
photons at a molecule. The learner can change the light source and the
molecule on the fly and observe what happens.

Learners can also Pause the action (the firing of photons) without turning
the light source off. When the action is paused, the learner can use a Step
Forward button to move the action (the photons) forward little by little to
examine more closely what happens when a photon passes through or is
absorbed by the molecule.

In interviews with blind learners, we found that learners were confused by
the Pause/Play and Step Forward buttons, especially when the light source
had not already been turned on. And if the simulation was set to Pause,
they were often temporarily confused why the light source button would no
longer fire photons.

We have made improvements to the descriptive experience by adding aria-live
alerts that indicate if the light source is off or if the sim is paused,
and why it might be useful to use the Step Forward button when the Pause
button is activated. We think these aria-live alerts will create a much
more intuitive experience (more user testing is pending).

That said, a few learners requested a global keyboard shortcut to quickly
Pause and Play the action no matter where their focus was. My question to
the list is, does any one have any experience or resources on making a
global keyboard shortcut that does not rely on focus and works when screen
reader software is enabled. I am assuming we would need to use a modifier
key. Something like Control + k or Alt + k.

This kind of Pause/Play and Step Forward interaction is used in many of our
interactive science simulations. A global hot key could be useful for all
learners whether they use screen readers or not.

Thanks in advance for any resources on accessible global keyboard
shortcuts. I have read this great medium article by Sasha Maximova, J, K,
or How to choose keyboard shortcuts for web applications, several times,
and am looking for more resources.

Taliesin
~.~.~
Also available off list at: Taliesin.Smith@colorado.edu
Inclusive Design Researcher
PhET Interactive Simulations
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/accessibility
Physics Department
University of Colorado, Boulder