Re: Global Shortcut Keys and Screen Reader Accessibility?

Hi Phil,
To clarify, that’s right. The learning tool is not a video. It’s an interactive tool that learners can play and experiment with. 
In this particular simulation the learner starts the action by turning a Light Source on, and then there are secondary button controls that allow a learner to Pause the action, and even Step Forward through the action if they want to take a closer look. The Step Forward button is disabled until the action is Paused. And, of course nothing at all happens if the Light Source is not first turned on.

So, yes, I am just referring to a global keyboard shortcut that would work in one of our simulation apps that contains a Pause/Play button.

Sounds like this is possible, though maybe just tricky to get it right for all platforms and AT.

Taliesin 

> On Apr 15, 2020, at 12:24 PM, Phill Jenkins <pjenkins@us.ibm.com> wrote:
> 
> 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 <slack://channel?team=T073LUXEU&id=C036P1CTN> 
> Check out the new system for requesting an IBM product Accessibility Conformance Report VPAT® at able.ibm.com/request <https://able.ibm.com/request/>
> pjenkins@us.ibm.com
> Accessibility Executive
> IBM Accessibility
> 
> 
> <graycol.gif>Taliesin Smith ---04/15/2020 08:41:37 AM---Hi Folks, I am looking into the feasibility of global hotkey or Keyboard Shortcut that would toggle
> 
> 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 <https://phet-dev.colorado.edu/html/molecules-and-light/1.5.0-dev.44/phet/molecules-and-light_en_phet.htm> (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 <https://medium.com/@sashika/j-k-or-how-to-choose-keyboard-shortcuts-for-web-applications-a7c3b7b408ee>, several times, and am looking for more resources.
> 
> Taliesin
> ~.~.~
> Also available off list at: Taliesin.Smith@colorado.edu <mailto:Taliesin.Smith@colorado.edu>
> Inclusive Design Researcher
> PhET Interactive Simulations
> https://phet.colorado.edu/en/accessibility <https://phet.colorado.edu/en/accessibility>
> Physics Department
> University of Colorado, Boulder
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