(Deprecated) Accessible Guides

An accessible Guide is one that a wide range of users can use, including those who may have disabilities that affect how they can interact with the Guide on the computer screen. By default, Guides are compiled using an accessible architecture that allows them to be read by screen reader applications.

For more information on accessibility, see the Accessibility Resource Center.

    Guide support for screen readers

    Guides support the Microsoft® Active Accessibility (MSAA) compliant screen reader, JAWS for Windows from Freedom Scientific.

    Note: To use JAWS with Guides, view the Guides using Microsoft Internet Explorer.

    For tips and information about creating accessible content, go to the Accessibility Resource Center. Information about the accessibility of specific Flex objects is located in the Flex documentation.

    Important: JAWS 10 does not correctly announce drop-down lists, list boxes, and radio button lists on a Guide. These list objects are announced as "blank". This issue does not exist with other versions of JAWS.

    Navigating accessible Guides

    Guide fillers use the Tab key to move through a Guide. Guide fillers also use the arrow keys to move between items in a list and the Tab key to move out of the list. The same applies to a group of radio buttons. Pressing the spacebar selects controls such as a radio button, check box, or navigation button.

    The tabbing order depends on whether a screen reader is used to access the Guide. A good practice is to test the Guide as you work to ensure that accessibility works as expected.

    When a screen reader is not used, the tabbing order starts at the top of the data entry panel, moving left to right until reaching the bottom. Tabbing order then moves left to right between the navigation buttons and then left to right in the PDF toolbar. The navigational panel and Guide Help panel are ignored.

    When a screen reader is used, the tabbing order depends on the Guide layout:

    Left Accordion, Left Multilevel, Button Bar, Cobalt Bar, and Workspace layouts

    Tabbing order starts at the top of the data entry panel, moving left to right until reaching the bottom. Tabbing order then moves left to right between the navigation buttons and then left to right in the PDF toolbar. The navigational panel and Guide Help panel are ignored. A Help icon is included with the PDF icons if Guide Help is present. The Help icon is included in the tabbing order.

    Cobalt Standard and Cobalt Tree layouts

    Tabbing order starts at the beginning of the text in the Guide Help panel. If the Help content includes a video, the next tab stops on the video button. The Guide filler presses the spacebar to start the video and again to stop the video and return to the Guide Help panel.

    If both panel Help and Guide Help are available in the Help center, panel Help is displayed by default and Guide Help is available at the bottom of the Help center. The next tab stops on the Guide Help bar at the bottom of the Help center. The Guide filler presses the spacebar to move the focus to the Help contents.

    From the Help panel, the next tab stops at the top of the data entry panel, moving left to right until reaching the bottom. Tabbing order then moves left to right between the navigation buttons and then left to right in the PDF toolbar. The navigational panel is ignored.

    If the Guide contains more than one panel, tabbing order on the next panel starts at the top of the data entry panel.

    Accordion wrapper

    Assistive technologies are unable to see objects in the accordion Guide layout. These technologies read only the panel names.

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