Appearance > Menus, Accessibility problems for blind users with screen reader
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Hi
I am an expert of assistive technologies and I teach WordPress web designing to the blind people who use screen reader. WordPress is the most accessible CMS and the only CMS with special focus on accessibility for assistive technologies. I really appreciate that.
I am blind and I use WordPress with screen reader (JAWS and NVDA). I have several problems with Appearance> Menus Editor, which makes it difficult for blind people to create or rearrange menus. I appreciate if anyone helps or guides me about how to solve those problems:
1- Accessibility problem for adding new menu items:
In the older versions of WordPress, I could easily add new items to the menu by clicking on the menu item, but in the latest updates, I cannot add new menu items. For example, I go to “Posts” and I press Enter, but I cannot see a list of posts in order to add to menus. I click (press enter) on “Custom Link”, but nothing happens, I cannot add a new custom link to the menu.
I tried to use JAWS Cursor and NVDA Object Review, which simulate mouse movements and mouse clicks using keyboard, but no luck.
I tested the problem in all browsers: Chrome, Firefox and IE, but no luck.
Suggestions:
a. Following accessibility standards in coding: Solving the accessibility problem of the menu headings, so we can expand/collapse the headings by pressing Enter on that heading. For example, we press Enter on “Posts”, and we see a list of posts under that heading.
b. Adding new items via comboboxes: There might be a few combo boxes that ask us what type of menu (post, page, custom link, etc.) we want to add; which of the available pages or posts we want to add; at what hierarchical position we want to put the new item. This is quite accessible for the blind.
c. Adding/reordering new items via the editor page: When adding or editing a post or page, there should be a checkbox called “add to menu” with three comboboxes: select menu, select parent item, select item position.2- Accessibility problem of Screen Options:
In appearance> Menus dashboard, I pressed Enter on “Screen Options”, hoping there might be an “Accessible Mode” just like the Widgets page that has an accessible mode in “Screen Options”, but as much as I tried with JAWS, NVDA, JAWS Cursor and NVDA Object Review, I could not expand the screen options. It is always collapsed, so I could not access those options. This problem did not exist in the previous versions of WordPress. Of course, I know the “Accessible Mode” option does not exist in Menus dashboard, it exists in Widgets dashboard only.
I use JAWS 2020 and NVDA 2020.
Suggestions:
a. Accessible mode: Please add an “Accessible Mode” to the screen options of menus editor, just like the Accessible Mode in the screen options of Widgets Editor. Also, test that button with screen readers so to make sure it works with JAWS and NVDA.
b. Desktop app: I wish there was a desktop app that allowed me to rearrange large menus with many items fast and easily with keyboard.3- Accessibility Problem when rearranging and reordering menu items:
When we have only a few menu items, blind people can easily rearrange/reorder those items by clicking on the item and pressing “move up/ move down”. However, most of the times our website has so many items with parent-child hierarchical structure. This makes it so tedious and time-consuming for a blind person to arrange the menu items. For example, if they have a menu with tens of items and sub-items, when they add a new menu item, it goes to the end of the long list. They need to press “Move Up” tens of times in order to bring the item to a proper position under a proper parent item. Every time after pressing “Move Up” link, the cursor focus changes, and they have to find “Move up” link again and again.
Suggestions:
a. Rearranging via comboboxes: Just like the Widgets editor, When they press Enter on a menu item, instead of “Move up/Move Down” links, they should see two comboboxes: parent item, position. This way, they rearrange the item position so fast and easily.
b. Parent item: Among all types of menu items (Post, page, custom link, category, tag, etc.) there should be a new critical type called “Parent item”. Parent menu item is a neutral link that has sub-items (children) in the hierarchy. It is not linked to any page or post, and it goes nowhere when clicked. It just expands/collapses in order to show the sub-items. This is better than adding a custom-link and then converting the custom link to a parent-item.Thank you
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