Hi,
Forwarding to you email that my girlfriend sent to whatsapp, about the problems in whatsapp web accessibility. What do you think? Afik sofir Highsight. From: Neta Rosenman [mailto:netaro...@gmail.com] Sent: Saturday, January 16, 2016 8:31 PM To: supp...@whatsapp.com Cc: Afik Sofer; a...@highsight.co.il; eli.pe...@gmail.com Subject: Whatsapp web accessibility Hi I am a visually impaired whatsapp user. I use the NVDA open-source screen reader, and the whatsapp web page is inaccessible when using it, and other closed-source screen reader, such as window-eyes by AI squared, and JAWS for windows by freedom scientific. Some examples which show that whatsapp web is inaccessible for those using a screen-reading software are: 1. Some of the buttons are unlabeled. This means that the screen-reading software, which is supposed to read out loud what they are supposed to do, meaning, their name, cannot do so. The fact that they are unlabeled means that they are not marked in a way that the screen reader can name them and read that out loud. For example, one of the unlabeled buttons is the record button. This means that when the screen reader is focused on it, it cannot say out loud that it is a record button - it only announced that it is a button. The same thing occurs with the play recording buttons. this happens because these buttons are dynamic. I am certain for the fact that there is a fix for this, such as labeling these buttons. 2. There are navigation issues when using whatsapp web. Blind and visually impaired use the keyboard almost all the time, and barely use the mouse. We would much rather navigate through the computer using the keyboard than the mouse. Navigating around whatsapp web using the keyboard is an extremely cumbersome and difficult process When pressing the tab and enter buttons or the spacebar, and arrowing up or down, one does not immediately get to the desired location in the website. Instead, he arrives at a very unpredictable location, such as getting to the browser navigation bar from the whatsapp page. The desired outcome, is as the following, for example: When the screen reader is focused on a chat, when I arrow down, I want the screen reader to focus on the chat directly below, in the chat list. When I tab, I want to go into the chat in focus, and when I arrow up or down inside it, I want to read through its messages. Right now, at the time when this email is sent, this is not what happens in the whatsapp web page in any web browser. 3. Contacts cannot be added to the phone, or added in any way that they can be used with whatsapp or whatsapp web. There are blind people who cannot use their smartphone in most ways, due to various reasons, for example, if they have cerebral palsy and cannot use their hands properly. Smartphone screen readers, such as VoiceOver on the iPhone, and talkback on some android smartphones, are not one-hand, or hands-free accessible, which means that there are people with CP who are blind or visually impaired due to it, and cannot use most of what their phone has to offer. Because of that, they use whatsapp web, and cannot add contacts to their phone for use with whatsapp indepently, without the help of a sighted person. Sincerely, Neta Rosenman, Israeli visually impaired whatsapp web user with NVDA (non visual desktop access) screen reader. _______________________________________________ Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ai Squared. For membership options, visit http://lists.window-eyes.com/options.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com/archive%40mail-archive.com. For subscription options, visit http://lists.window-eyes.com/listinfo.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com List archives can be found at http://lists.window-eyes.com/private.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com
