Fwd: [free-aria] JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously worked in JAWS12

thought this may be of interest

regards
Stevef



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bryan Garaventa <bryan.garaventa@whatsock.com>
Date: 11 May 2012 20:10
Subject: [free-aria] JAWS13 has broken ARIA functionality that previously
worked in JAWS12
To: WebAIM Discussion List <webaim-forum@list.webaim.org>
Cc: free-aria@googlegroups.com


**
FYI

It appears that JAWS13 has introduced critical functionality issues
regarding the use of ARIA, which worked correctly in JAWS12.

So here is a breakdown.

ARIA Tabs and Dropdown Menus: (Uses ARIA tab and menu attribute sets
according to spec)
http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_tabs_menu_modules/demo.htm#
Regarding ARIA tabs
In JAWS12, tabs are announced in full when using the 'f' and shift+f
hotkeys to jump between tabs on the page. (E.G. 'Tab Dialog')
In JAWS13, only "Tab" is announced, which is non-intuitive.
Regarding ARIA menus
In JAWS12, when the menu is opened, you can use the arrow keys to navigate
properly since Applications Mode is enforced within the menu objects.
In JAWS13, Applications Mode is no longer enforced, so it is no longer
possible to navigate ARIA menus properly.

Auto Suggest Search Field: (Uses ARIA role=dialog and list attribute sets
according to spec)
http://whatsock.com/modules/auto_suggestion_search_field_module/demo.htm
In JAWS12, when alt+downarrow is used to provide screen reader access to
the search list, only the first item selected is announced as expected.
(Type "u" then press alt+downarrow after the list appears to reproduce)
In JAWS13, all of the contents of the container element are announced
instead of just the focused element.

ARIA Sortable Listbox: (Uses ARIA role=dialog, list, and grab/drop
attribute sets according to spec)
http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_sortable_listbox_module/demo.htm
In JAWS12, After the Sort button is pressed, focus moves into the list box
and the currently selected item is announced. Then you can arrow to the
item you wish to grab, press the Spacebar, arrow to another item, and press
the Spacebar again to drop the item in that location. (Only the currently
selected item is announced)
In JAWS13, the entire content of the container element with role=dialog is
announced every time the listbox is opened, and every time you press
Spacebar to drop an item in another location.

It looks like JAWS13 is programmed to read all of the content of a
container element with role=dialog every time an element receives focus
within that container.

ARIA Calendar: (Uses a combination of role=dialog, role=link, and
aria-label attributes according to spec)
http://whatsock.com/modules/aria_calendar_module/demo.htm
In JAWS12, when you activate the Advanced Calendar link, focus is set on
the current date which is announced as expected. Pressing the Spacebar will
open the Comments dialog, where focus is set on the text field and the
label is automatically announced also as expected. You can then tab between
the available buttons where each focused element is announced. (Only the
label for the currently selected item is announced)
In JAWS13, as soon as focus is moved to the first selected date, all of the
calendar content is announced starting from where role=dialog is used
within the parent container element. The same behavior occurs when Spacebar
is pressed to open the Comments dialog, as well as every time tab is used
to move between the buttons within the Comments dialog.
This is the same issue as previously described regarding the behavior of
role=dialog.

ARIA Wizard and Carousel: () (Uses ARIA role=status, aria-live,
role=dialog, and aria-labelledby according to spec)
http://whatsock.com/modules/carousel_from_xml_module/demo.htm
Regarding the carousel
In JAWS12, The announcement of text using role=status and
aria-live=assertive appears to be more reliable when using the accesskeys
to switch between carousel slides. (E.G. alt+1 and alt+2 in IE)
In JAWS13, text announcement does not occur as regularly.
Regarding the XML Wizard
In JAWS12, focus is set on the first form field of the wizard after the
Generate button is pressed, where tab can be used to cycle between
available form fields. (Only the label for the currently selected form
field is announced)
In JAWS13 however, the entire content of the dialog is announced before the
label of the first form field that gains focus, starting with the parent
container element that includes role=dialog.

Accessible Lightbox, Banner, Tooltip, and Popup: (Uses ARIA role=status and
aria-live according to spec)
http://whatsock.com/modules/standard_dynamic_control_templates/demo.htm
In JAWS12, the announcement of text using role=status and
aria-live=assertive appears to be more reliable.
In JAWS13, sometimes text that should be announced using role=status and
aria-live=assertive, is not.

This was verified using the latest public releases of JAWS12 and 13 using
IE8 on Win XP Pro SP3. If you would like to add IE9 and Win7 testing
results to this for comparison, please do.

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