#Best screen reader app how to

A sighted person tends to think of web sites in terms of blocks of information organized visually. In a very real sense, screen readers make you think differently. Both of these are habits that a sighted person must set aside while testing with a screen reader.īut habits and techniques of navigating web content are only part of the story. They're also accustomed to visually scanning a page in all directions almost simultaneously. Sighted users are accustomed to using a mouse for navigation. Many keyboard shortcuts are available, most of which the user has to memorize. To begin with, screen readers exclusively or primarily use the keyboard for navigation. What are the main differences between the way sighted users and screen reader users access web content?īlind users access web content in fundamentally different ways compared to sighted users. If you don't understand these differences, you won't understand what the accessibility challenges are for screen reader users, and you won't be able to design effectively for this audience.

Too many people focus on blindness to the exclusion of people with other disability types (motor, auditory, cognitive, low vision, etc.) whose needs are just as relevant.Īlthough a screen reader isn't a 'browser' in the same way that Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer are browsers (in fact, in most cases the screen reader depends on those browsers), screen readers are a way of accessing web content that is different from the way that sighted people use browsers.

Of course, you don't want to fall into the trap of thinking that accessibility is only relevant to screen reader users. Screen reader users are one of the primary beneficiaries of your accessibility efforts, so it makes sense to understand their needs. Well, that would be an easy way out, but before you start making excuses, let's take a look at what you'd be missing out on.

So if I don't know how to use a screen reader, I shouldn't even try?

#Best screen reader app how to