Screen reader support lacking for graphs, tables, etc.

[bates64]

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This feedback comes from my friend @Computerfan23, who was unable to figure out how to post here with his screen reader.

Hi!
My name is Computerfan23 and i am visually impaired. This means that i have nearly no vision left and i have to use a screen reader where a text to speech program helps me read the text on the screen in the form of a speech api.
I have been using github for some time and i feel the platform is lacking in accessibility.
I often have trouble navigating project sites since there is so much info and labels to scroll through. And my screen reader cannot read things like graphs, tables and similar. I just get a mess of dates, but no numbers.
I feel github could be a lot easier to navigate and improve the accessibility.
Thanks!

In particular, he claims that these very discussion forums are hard to navigate, and therefore had to ask me for help posting this!

[bates64]

@Computerfan23:

As for graphs, i have run into problem reading like who is maintaining repos. I cannot read that and get a bunch of dates, but no numbers.
I have also encountered projects on github where i cannot find the info. These include websites for projects such as banjo kazooie and diddy kong racing. It is very hard for my screen reader to find the right info.

(I'm not entirely sure what 'right info' means here.)

[ossanna16]

Hi there @nanaian and welcome to our community! Thank you for the feedback!

[ghostinhershell]

Hey @nanaian 👋

We really appreciate you posting here on your friend's behalf, thank you so much for the feedback!

I'm going to loop @benjiallen into this post for added visibility. He may have additional questions for you guys.

Cheers!

[edsummersnc]

Hi @nanaian and @Computerfan23,

We value your feedback. I suggest the first step is to help @Computerfan23 access this page so he can participate directly.

I am blind, as well. I can share a few tips that might help.

I use the NVDA screen reader on Windows 10 with Chrome. Here are tips for accessing this page with that config. Please let me know if you are using a different config.

To read the contents of this page:

• Use Browse Mode. You can toggle between Browse Mode and Focus Mode using NVDA+spacebar.
• Press H to move forward by heading and Shift+H to move backward by heading. That allows you to quickly move to important parts of the page, e.g. the beginning of each post.
• I generally prefer to read by paragraph using Control + Down Arrow or read by line using just Down Arrow.

To post to this page:

• Use Browse Mode.
• Press E to go to the first and only edit field.
• Press Enter to switch to Focus Mode. You can also use NVDA+spacebar.
• Type your comments.
• Press Tab until you find the Comment button and press Enter to activate it.
• You can confirm your comment was posted by making sure you are in Browse Mode and pressing Shift+H. You should land on the last comment and that heading should include your handle.

I hope that helps. I look forward to seeing a comment here soon!

Be well,
Ed

[Computerfan23]

Hi! I want to thank Ed for the suggestions with nvda. It works. I was able to write a comment on this page. Now if that was the same thing on the forum too. Anyway, I thank you for giving me the keys to nvda, i had no idea about the different ways to use it.

[edsummersnc]

Hi @Computerfan23, that is great news. Can you describe the next challenge that you are experiencing as you use GitHub? I'll be happy to help.

[Computerfan23]

Hi!
So the challenge i face with github is navigating the website. Like when i am browsing a project site and want to check out pr or issues or info about the project, i have to go through a lot of things to find the right place.
Since i use a screen reader and hear all the text on the screen, i feel github has a lot of text and links i have to go through to find the right place. I am not too good at navigating around.
i also have trouble reading graphs like how many comitters a project has to know who is maintaining the repo. I just get a bunch of info like dates and numbers, but no real answer. And tables are kind of hard to read since there are a few different areas i have to go to to find the right info.

[adlai]

Although not blind myself, I still frequently lose focus when confronted with data overload.

I revise my question, for improved specificity: you might be familiar with the idea of sparklines. What sort of interface do you find most convenient for reading statistics?

final edit, in case sparklines are not familiar: The idea is for graphs to play similar roles in text as words, instead of being foreign items that mess up the arrangement of everything. My hope, yet unmet by free stuff raining out of the cloud, is for such compact graphics to also be pronouncable, so that graphs are not considered some exclusive domain of the sighted.

[cehfisher]

Hi @bates64 - we wanted to follow up on your issue about missing screen reader support. Is this still an issue for you? Or did the comment from @edsummersnc help resolve it for you? If it is resolved, could you please close out this issue? If it is not resolved, what additional changes are needed? Thank you! (cc @queenofcorgis)

[bates64]

Hi Carie, let me try to loop @Computerfan23 back into this as it's really their issue

[0768993338]

Yes I need help to make the right direction

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On Thu, 23 May 2024, 16:36 Carie Fisher, ***@***.***> wrote: Hi @bates64 <https://github.com/bates64> - we wanted to follow up on your issue about missing screen reader support. Is this still an issue for you? Or did the comment <#40402 (comment)> from @edsummersnc <https://github.com/edsummersnc> help resolve it for you? If it is resolved, could you please close out this issue? If it is not resolved, what additional changes are needed? Thank you! (cc @queenofcorgis <https://github.com/queenofcorgis>) — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#40402 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/A4ISUGSDXUTWGIBHLSISBATZDX5F5AVCNFSM6AAAAAASPDKXE6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43SRDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHM4TKMZVHE3DO> . You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.*** com>

[zersiax]

hello @Computerfan23

I am also a screen reader user, and I'm curious if I might be able to lend a hand here.
Your previous post indicated that you need help to make the right direction. Could you provide some more details on what it is you are currently still running into?

I'd also be very curious to hear how familiar you are with your screen reader, and how websites generally work for you. Are the issues you run into on GitHub also issues you see on other pages?

[Computerfan23]

Hi there!
Yes, i see oösimilar issues on other github projects where i get no progress graph read out. There also is a lot of links and info on github which makes it hard for me to navigate.
On other websites, i can navigate easiier by using hot keys like jump between headings or quickly jump to a section.