Out Go The Lights: 30 Days of Accessibility Testing

The Ministry of Testing has declared that May should be "30 Days of Accessibility Testing". As in the days of yore when I used to take on these challenges and blog regularly, I'm in the mood to get back to doing that. Therefore, I am looking to write a post every day around this topic and as a way to address each line of their checklist.

11. Turn your screen off and rely on a screen reader.

This is going to be a short entry. Why? Because I'm writing it entirely in the dark. My screen reader is telling me where I am, and I am not hearing back what I type, so I'm tabbing back and forth to hear what I've written. It's one thing to use a screen reader for testing, but it's entirely different to really have to rely on it. 

It takes me a long time to type out just these short sentences, and then wait to hear them back to hear what I actually wrote. Also, if I get frustrated enough, I can always go back and turn the screen on to see where I am. For those who are truly sightless or have a significant visual impairment, that's not an option.

If you have the opportunity to use VoiceOver or NVDA, seriously, try this challenge out. Don't be surprised to find out how frustrating it can be, and then remember, if you have normative vision, you can always turn the screen back on.