Voice Access on Android 

Voice Access is used to navigate and interact with Android devices using voice commands. 

Basic Requirements 

• Introduced in Android Version 7 and later. 
• Working microphone in Android device for users to give commands. 
• Download Voice Access from Google Play store. 
• Google Assistant should be activated on the device such that users can switch on Voice Access even by giving the command “Turn on Voice Access”. 

Turn Voice Access On or Off 

1. Go to Device Settings  
2. Select Accessibility and then tap Voice Access
3. To start using Voice Access, tap the Voice Access activation button

Tip: You can set up the activation button in Settings  > Accessibility > Voice Access > Settings > Activation button.

Interact using Voice Access 

Activate Voice Access 

After tapping on Voice Access activation button , the text “Voice Access on ” is displayed on screen to indicate that user can give voice commands to perform actions. They can use “Stop Listening” command to stop Voice Access. 

Activate Elements 

We can activate elements using voice commands such as “Tap” followed by the name of the elements. 

Basic Commands to interact with Voice Access 

• Show labels – This command displays an overlay with the name of the elements along with numbers. Users can say label name to activate the respective element. For Example, if users say, “Navigate Up” on Accessibility Settings screen, it will take users to the previous screen. 

• Show numbers – This command displays an overlay with number tags for the elements. Users can say “Tap number” or just the number to activate with respective item. For Example, if users say, “Tap 10″, it will activate the Accessibility Menu button on Accessibility Settings screen and take them to the Accessibility Menu screen. 

Tip:  Users can quickly find out the description of numbered element using “What is [number] ?” Command. 

• Show grid – This command displays numbered grid overlay and user can say “Tap number” on the grid to enlarge that area which will then present a new set of grid overlay. For Example, if users say “Tap 18” it will open an enlarged view of the grid that will display more numbers. Again, when users say, “Tap 8”, the Display & brightness button on Settings screen will get activated and they will be taken to Display & brightness screen.    

Tip: More information on how to interact with Voice Access can be found on https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6151848

Let’s explore opening the browser, to open the browser give the command “Open Chrome”. Now that we have opened the browser, let’s go ahead and open a website and say the following commands: 

1. Use the “Tap Address” command to navigate to the Address Bar. 
2. Dictate the Web address. (For example, https://www.barrierbreak.com/image-description/) 
3. Use the “Tap Go” command to activate the “Go” button to access the screen.

Now to navigate through the Image description screen, whether it is to a link, button or form controls, use the following commands. 

• Tap element name  – To directly activate a link or button. 
• Scroll Up or Scroll Down – To go up and down a screen. 
• Go back – To navigate to previous screen.                

Don’t you feel speech recognition is fascinating? It has come a long way in recent years, and with the way it is being evolving will definitely only lead to more improvements. These features can make it easier for users with any disabilities to interact with their devices and perform a wide range of tasks using their voice. 

Utilizing Voice Access on your Android device can greatly enhance your experience and accessibility. By following the steps outlined in this blog, you can easily get started with voice access and enjoy its rich set of features.   

Hope this series of blogs helps you to get started with the speech recognition in Android and iOS. Feel free to drop in your comments and share your experiences of using Voice Access! 

Happy exploring !! 

Looking for a reliable digital accessibility partner that truly understands your commitment to inclusion and accessibility? Why settle for anything less than the best? Choose us as your accessibility vendor and take the first step towards a truly inclusive digital future. 

This article by Jayshree Sharma is a part of our BB Geek series where BarrierBreak team members share their expertise on accessibility and inclusion, drawing from their extensive experience in the field.

The post How to get started with Voice Access (Android)? appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.

Speech recognition will also be helpful when we find ourselves in a situation where our hands are occupied but need to perform a task. For example, we are in a crowded place and need to make an urgent phone call. Simply give the voice command and get the task done. Yes, we can do this with voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant but speech recognition goes beyond these!  

Let’s delve into the basics of using built-in speech recognition on iOS! 

Voice Control in iOS 

Using Voice Control, we can navigate and interact with our iOS devices using different voice commands. 

Basic Requirements 

• Introduced in iOS 13 and available for later versions as well. 
• Working microphone in iOS device for users to say commands. 
• Active Internet Connection is needed to download required files for first time setup. 
• Siri needs to be setup in iOS device such that users can switch on Voice Control even by using the command “Turn on Voice Control”. 

Tip: Wi-Fi needs to be turned on when using Voice Control for the first time to download initial setup. 

Turn Voice Control On or Off 

1. Go to Settings icon  and select Accessibility.
2. Select Voice Control, then select Set up Voice Control which will initiate a download for initial setup.  
3. When the download is complete, a microphone icon will appear in the status bar of your device.

Tip:  Microphone icon in status bar indicates that Voice Control is enabled or not. 

Interact using Voice Control 

Wake up your device 

We can use the voice command “Wake up” to make your device start listening with a command and for it to stop listening, use the “Go to sleep” command. 

Activate Items 

We can activate items using voice commands such as “Tap” followed by the name of the item. 

Basic Commands to interact with Voice Control 

• Show names – This command displays an overlay with the name of the items. Users can say “Tap item name” to activate the respective item. For example, on Voice Control screen of Accessibility Settings – if users say, “Tap Language”, it will activate the Language button and take them to the Language screen. 

Tip: Switch on “Show Hints” from the Settings > Accessibility options > Voice Control  to get suggestions for Voice commands. 

• Show numbers – This command displays an overlay with number tags for the items. Users can say “Tap number” to activate with respective item. For example, on Voice Control screen of Accessibility Settings – if users say, “Tap 3”, it will activate the Zoom button and take them to the Zoom screen. 

• Show grid – This command displays numbered grid overlay and user can say “Tap number” to enlarge that area which will then present a new set of grid overlay. For example, on Voice Control screen of Accessibility Settings – if users say “Tap 12” it will open an enlarge view of the grid that will display more numbers. Again, when users say, “Tap 2”, Zoom button will get activated and they will be taken to Zoom screen. 

Tip: More information on how to interact with Voice Control can be found on https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/iphone/iph2c21a3c88/ios  
 
Let’s explore opening the browser, to open the browser give the command “Open Safari”. Now that we have opened the browser, let’s go ahead and open a website and say the following commands: 

1. Go to the Address Bar by giving the command “Tap Address” when names of items shown on screen via Show Names command. 
2. Dictate the Web address. (For example, https://www.barrierbreak.com/vpat-creation/) 
3. Say the command “Tap Go” to navigate to the screen. 

Now to navigate through the VPAT creation screen, whether it is to a link, button or form controls, use the following commands. 

• Tap item name – To directly activate a link or button. 
• Scroll Up or Scroll Down – To go up and down a screen. 
• Go back – To navigate to previous screen. 

Tip: We can explore few more commands by saying the “Show Commands” with Voice Control turned on. 

Don’t you feel speech recognition is fascinating? It has come a long way in recent years, and with the way it is being evolving will definitely only lead to more improvements. These features can make it easier for users with any disabilities to interact with their devices and perform a wide range of tasks using their voice. 

Utilizing voice control on your iOS device can greatly enhance your experience and accessibility. By following the steps outlined in this blog, you can easily get started with voice control and enjoy its benefits.  

If you’re an Android user, don’t worry – we’ll be covering how to get started with Voice Access in Android in our next blog post. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next entry in this series! 

Looking for a reliable digital accessibility partner that truly understands your commitment to inclusion and accessibility? Why settle for anything less than the best? Choose us as your accessibility vendor and take the first step towards a truly inclusive digital future.

This article by Jayshree Sharma is a part of our BB Geek series where BarrierBreak team members share their expertise on accessibility and inclusion, drawing from their extensive experience in the field.

The post How to get started with Voice Control (iOS)? appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.

Why are Headings Important?

• Headings give structure to a page and helps users identify different sections available on the page.
• Headings create an outline similar to a newspaper and help users to easily navigate a webpage. Sighted users can skim through the page by reading the headings and screen reader users can skim through the page by quickly navigating through the headings.

Which User Groups are benefited?

• Users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers can understand content structure as well as navigate to different sections quickly.
• Users with cognitive impairments find it easier to access the content when consistent heading styles are used.

According to a screen reader survey conducted by WebAIM in August – September 2019, 86% of screen reader users use headings to navigate either ‘often’ or ‘all the time’. Looking at the above data, importance of headings cannot be debated.

How can we Implement Headings?

As per the HTML specifications, there are 6 heading levels such as H1, H2, H3, H4, H5 and H6. The highest heading level <h1>, is used to define the main heading of the page, followed by section headings that are marked up using <h2>. Whereas sub-section headings are marked up using <h3>, <h4> and so on.

Here are some example code snippets for marking up headings.

<h1>Sitemap</h1>

(…)

<h2>Blog</h2>

Headings can be implemented using native HTML elements as described above and using ARIA as well.

We can use aria role=”heading” and “aria-level” property to define the level of headings, yes, it is preferable to use the native element to define the headings but in cases where we cannot restructure the page using HTML markup we can take help of ARIA. The use of aria should be considered as the last option.

Example Code Snippet:

<div role=”heading” aria-level=”2″>Print</div>

Which WCAG Guidelines are applicable for Headings?

• 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A): This Success criteria talks about marking up headings programmatically and not through visual presentation alone.
• 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA): This success criteria talks about importance of having descriptive and concise text for headings.
• 2.4.10 Section Headings (Level AAA): This success criteria talks about the importance of section headings, adding section headings based on their importance as well as following heading sequence.

How can screen reader access Headings?

The below table presents some shortcuts to access Heading on a web page using screen readers.

Find the above shortcuts interesting and helpful?

Try them to get a hands-on experience of Heading with the help of screen readers.

Headings can be defined for web pages, PDF documents, Microsoft Word documents as well as mobile apps!

Would you like to assess the heading structure for your different digital assets? Write to us at sales@barrierbreak.com and our team will be happy to support!

The post Everything you need to know about Headings in WCAG appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.

Dragon is Voice based software so basically, we must provide voice commands to perform various keyboard and mouse interaction.

To know more information on How to start using dragon you can refer to Using Dragon Naturally Speaking to access a website blog.

If you are working in accessibility firm you often come across the need to test the web page using speech recognition tools like dragon. In this blog we will explore some ways of how to navigate and activate some web page elements.

How do we start?

• Check the website for navigation by voice.
• See if you can navigate through all the links/buttons/interactive elements and check if you can activate them.

Tip:
While navigating website to click a button or any other interactive element, say its name preceded by “click”.

For navigating and clicking different web page elements you can either make use of Keyboard interaction command or mouse interaction commands.

Voice Commands for Keyboard interaction:

The following table lists Voice commands for keyboard interaction testing:

Voice Commands for Mouse interaction:

The following table lists Voice commands for Mouse interaction testing:

These are the few basic commands, as you continue testing using Dragon you can explore more commands according to the interactive elements available on the page.

So, let’s get started by testing a page using some of the commands.

Open a web page using Dragon and navigate the page using Tab voice command to check if the interactive elements are keyboard accessible or not? Also check if a particular element is keyboard accessible ,the focus indicator is visible to users so that user can recognize the user’s current position .

Now let’s try some of the voice commands for keyboard and mouse interaction that we learnt in the above table.

Say Click <link name>, for example to activate Home link say click Home.

Say MouseGrid, Dragon will overlay a grid on the screen

Now let’s try the Mouse Grid, using the following commands:

1. MouseGrid
2. < Number of Grid > – Say the number you want to focus on

Repeat the above steps till you are able to  click the required link or button

We have learnt navigating and activation of various web page elements in this blog. In the forthcoming blog we will learn about the various commands to interact with form elements.

Having said that Dragon has a whole list of commands, you need to try them by yourself to explore more and more voice commands and getting well versed with it.

Do let us know what new things you learned with dragon and share your experiences in the comment section.

The post Cheat Sheet – Dragon Naturally Speaking Commands for Web Testing appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.

Alex has a love for numbers and finding answers through data. We were studying economics at the same university. One day, I noticed this guy talking away to his computer and not really using the keyboard. It got me intrigued. As we became friends, I got to know that Alex had very little mobility in his arms and he was using his speech to control the computer!

Alex uses Dragon Naturally Speaking and he makes it feel so simple and easy, that I just had to learn it.

So, let’s explore how Dragon Naturally Speaking works on the Web.

Dragon Works with multiple browsers, for the purpose of this blog we will be working with Internet Explorer.

Whenever we launch a browser for the first time after installing Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a prompt appears stating to install Dragon Web Extension. It will enable Commands that allow you to click Web page elements, such as buttons and links, navigate as well as access all the content and functionalities.

Let’s start with opening the browser, to open the browser give the command Open Internet Explorer. Now that we have opened the browser, let’s go ahead and open a website and say the following commands:

1. Go to the Address Bar.
2. Dictate the Web address. (For example, www.barrierbreak.com)
3. Go.

Now to navigate through the page, whether it is to a link, button or form controls, use the following commands

• Tab – To navigate from one element to another
• Click < link name > – To directly activate a link
• Page Up or Page Down – To go up and down a page

Tip:
If the computer is idle for some time, Dragon will go to sleep, give the command “Wake up” and Dragon will be ready to go!

So want to have some fun, find a few more Dragon Voice Commands in the table below:

Can we give mouse commands using Dragon? Yes, we can!

Let’s understand how Dragon uses a concept called the MouseGrid before we actually try it. The MouseGrid breaks up the screen into a transparent three-by-three grid over the screen with the sections numbered one through nine. Notice, that each grid has been assigned a number.

Now let’s try the Mouse Grid, using the following commands:

1. MouseGrid
2. < Number of Grid > – Say the number you want to focus on

You can repeat the process as many times as you need. When the grid area becomes too small to display numbers, you will be able to click the required link or button.

When the MouseGrid is enabled, we can use voice command “Click” to restrict the mouse movement and activate the element.

Using the MouseGrid, we can also access elements on a page that cannot be focused using the Tab command.

Navigating a web page using Mouse Grid is a tedious process but fun to perform!

Why don’t you give it a try and share your views on using speech recognition!

The post Using Dragon Naturally Speaking to access a website appeared first on Leader in Offshore Accessibility Testing | Section 508 Compliance | WCAG Conformance | BarrierBreak.