Re: Or! - RE: Re: how to code strikethroughs for a screenreader

Thanks all for the input and quick action.

From: Matt King <a11ythinker@gmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 10:20 AM
To: "alands289@gmail.com" <alands289@gmail.com>, 'Phill Jenkins' <pjenkins@us.ibm.com>, Char Easter <ceaster@seattletimes.com>
Cc: "w3c-wai-ig@w3.org" <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Subject: RE: Or! - RE: Re: how to code strikethroughs for a screenreader

Scope of ARIA 1.3 includes new semantics related to annotations, which includes comments on revisions marked up with ins and del elements.

As part of adding these semantics to ARIA 1.3, we will also draft guidance for the ARIA Authoring Practices and add canonical examples of implementations.

After the APG Task Force has consensus on the example implementations, we will add screen reader tests for the semantics to the ARIA and Assistive Tehcnology  (aria-at) project.

So, by end of year, we should have an end-to-end understanding of any gaps in this space and a clear path to full support.

Side note: testing of implied ARIA semantics in native HTML is on the 2021 roadmap for aria-at. However, ins and del will certainly get covered by the annotations work, which should all happen this year.

Matt

From: alands289@gmail.com <alands289@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 3, 2020 6:22 PM
To: Phill Jenkins <pjenkins@us.ibm.com>; Char Easter <ceaster@seattletimes.com>
Cc: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Subject: Or! - RE: Re: how to code strikethroughs for a screenreader

Or!
Generally, we should make our elements communicate to “all”.
Your points are all good.

If there is a known limitation then as those that strive to support accessibility it is our job to make things work for screen reader users or any other disability type if there is a know limitation that does have a solution.

I’m not aware of a JAWS bug for a lack of supporting strike-through or the other styles you mentioned.
Not everything will be supported by screen readers, so we have to have a method to make it work.
Also, there are many other screen readers besides JAWS that we must support as well.
None that I know of announce the strike-through.

I’ve found a way that works and have communicated it to countless clients and they all seem happy with my suggested fix.

Its just one of the values of years of experience that we can acquire solutions to problems and share them with others to make them successful.

For those that use strike-through, once they know a way to make it work, they just add it to their own company design documentation or library and they have a solution that they can use.

Regards,

Alan Smith

From: Phill Jenkins<mailto:pjenkins@us.ibm.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 3, 2020 6:32 PM
To: alands289@gmail.com<mailto:alands289@gmail.com>; Char Easter<mailto:ceaster@seattletimes.com>
Cc: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org<mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Subject: Re: how to code strikethroughs for a screenreader


What?
generally, we should *not* be hacking things just for screen readers.
Did anyone ask the screen reader developers if they support strike-through? ask about super-script, sub-script, italics, etc. while you're asking.

If it isn't supported by the screen reader, then its a screen reader bug! that needs to be fixed / supported.

but I believe it is supported via a user setting. For example, See
JAWS Techniques for Examining Text Formatting<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoccenter.freedomscientific.com%2Fdoccenter%2Fdoccenter%2Frs25c51746a0cc%2F2012-06-20_textformatting%2F02_textformatting.htm&data=02%7C01%7Cceaster%40seattletimes.com%7Ce60ad63c06864be0a66608d7c068b52e%7Cfc2b8476b7f0473d82fbe0a89fd99855%7C0%7C0%7C637189428258107898&sdata=hN6qkXo753hJrL62j8ibrLUOV88inOpV%2BjIRjpA%2FBxk%3D&reserved=0>

However, I'm not sure JAWS supports styling like "text-decoration:line-through" because it may not really be a text attribute.

From 2005, a thread said:
Now, with my settings on "attributes", my JAWS is also reading
"strikethrough".
If this is not clear, or what you get is not what you expected, please
consult your help for JAWS.
___________
Regards,
Phill Jenkins


[Inactive hide details for ---03/03/2020 05:08:32 PM---Char,   That is a very interesting question.   Here is what I do that wor]---03/03/2020 05:08:32 PM---Char, That is a very interesting question. Here is what I do that works great. On the product

From: <alands289@gmail.com<mailto:alands289@gmail.com>>
To: Char Easter <ceaster@seattletimes.com<mailto:ceaster@seattletimes.com>>, "w3c-wai-ig@w3.org<mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>" <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org<mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>>
Date: 03/03/2020 05:08 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] RE: how to code strikethroughs for a screenreader




Char,

That is a very interesting question.

Here is what I do that works great.

On the product pages with strikethrough text, strikethrough text is not announced by screen readers. Therefore, non-visual users will not have communicated to them that the original price is no longer valid and thus “striked through”. The text will need further coding.
How is this a problem:
Non-visual users will not understand what the two different prices mean when the screen reader announces them. This may be during a read all of the page, a virtual read of the text or text announced from a link.
How to fix:
Add a span before the strike through amount with the words original price (or equivalent term). Have the span be your supported visuallyhidden class so it does not show on the screen.
<span class=""visuallyhidden"">Original price</span>
<span style=""text-decoration: line-through"">$70.00</span>

I hope this helps.

Alan Smith

From: Char Easter<mailto:ceaster@seattletimes.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 3, 2020 5:31 PM
To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org<mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Subject: how to code strikethroughs for a screenreader

Hello,

Is there a way a screen reader can read a strikethrough on text so a screen reader user can interpret the meaning/intent?

Thanks,

Char Easter
UX Designer at The Seattle Times
p: 206.464.2945
e: ceaster@seattletimes.com<mailto:ceaster@seattletimes.com>
m: 206.779.2427