Since screen readers ignore CSS, I turn off CSS to check how a screen reader will view the page. The one big issue is that the left sidebar appears after the content, with no way to skip to the left sidebar content. Is there any way to order the blocks to improve screen reader functionality?

Comments

Jeff Burnz’s picture

Jeff Burnz commented

Why would this improve screen reader functionality? Remember, this is a starter theme and with Drupal you can place content in any region, so why is the left sidebar any more special than any other region?

I would think that most of the time web site builders will have their main content in the center column, which is why it comes first in the source order. This layout methodology was chosen after very long consultation with screen reader users, including several blind Drupal developers.

If you are placing content in a region (it doesn't matter what region, the left sidebar is just one) and you think this is important enough that users will want to skip to it, then you can provide additional skip navigation links.

billsdesk’s picture

billsdesk commented

A person who uses a screen reader may not even have a screen on their system. The output device could be a braille reader or audio device. These devices do not use CSS. I test a page first by turning off CSS, this gives me a rough idea how the page appears to a screen reader. I also use the Fang add-on to Firefox, which displays how an audio output device would read the page. Finally, I use Knoppix Linux with Andrea to actually hear the page as a blind person would hear it. It is a real experience to try and navigate the Web purely by audio.

I am working on creating a Web site that teaches Linux to the visually impaired. In part, it is a tribute to a blind friend who was the best programmer I have ever met. It is one thing to pass WCAG, it is quite another to have a page that is actually usable by someone who is visually impaired.

Jeff Burnz’s picture

Jeff Burnz commented

I've worked on the Drupal 7 accessibility task-force for the past year, working with many disabled Drupal programmers and users and this issue of content first source order has never cropped up, only to the extent that they think its a good thing. Prior to this I have built a number of sites for blind and disabled users, so I know a thing or two about this.

I use NVDA and a bunch of other software also.

There are 4 other regions in this theme that precede the main content column, if appearance is not an issue then you can use one of those. In Drupal you can assign content to any region.

You should not overlook the things this theme gets very right, like proper headings, WAI ARIA roles and other accessibility enhancements.

Look, if you have a strong interest in Accessibility how about getting more involved, we have many many serious issues to tackle in Drupal and we sure could do with more people helping with the testing etc.

billsdesk’s picture

billsdesk commented

Today, I am going to check out the Accessibility group. Testing I can do, even some programming, or, at least, chasing down the errors. Once I get my current project off the ground, I want to rebuild the Web site for American Legion of Montana. I volunteered to be Webmaster for the Department over a year ago, and I am still trying to improve the Web site. I finally decided that it is time to rewrite the site using Drupal. Of course, I want the new site to be WCAG compliant, as their are many Vets that have visual impairments. Beyond visual impairments, there is the whole complex area of TBI.

After testing over a dozen themes, yours is still the best.

Jeff Burnz’s picture

Jeff Burnz commented
Status: Active » Fixed

Just cleaning up the issue queue, this is pretty old now.

Status: Fixed » Closed (fixed)

Automatically closed -- issue fixed for 2 weeks with no activity.