Screen reader (JAWS) not reading Prev and Next buttons
Feb 01, 2018
Hi all,
I'm creating an HTML5 course in Storyline 360, using the inbuilt player to provide Prev and Next buttons on each screen. When published, the tab key is cycling focus through all slide objects, then onto the player buttons/features as designed.
The problem is that the screen reader (JAWS) is not reading any kind of Alt Text for the Prev/Next buttons on the player, so even though they have focus, they are essentially invisible to a non-sighted user.
Has anyone else experienced this? I would love any suggestions for solutions please, as my poor client is getting seriously discouraged at the accessibility hurdles we are encountering as a result of Storyline "features".
(I would love to not have to manually rebuild the Prev/Next buttons on each screen if possible, as they have triggers attached - and besides, if the Storyline 360 output is touted as being accessible then I assume there is some way for these buttons to be read by screen readers.)
Thank you!
41 Replies
Hello Trinity,
Sorry to hear that you're running into an issue with this, but it is something our team is aware of and looking into.
I've added this thread to the report as we track user impact and so that we can update you here when we can.
Leslie, This happened just recently in one of the updates. The buttons were being read fine up until point. If I had to guess, it was 3 updates back. Our review folks reported it to us.
Not sure if this helps, but our tester issue was that Skip Nav wasn't identifying anything. Suddenly that got fixed but in turn, all the navigation buttons got pointed to the same ID.
You are correct Bob.
Thanks for sharing your findings, I'll pass that on to the team.
I am experiencing the very same issue. I am using Storyline 360. I am on a very tight deadline with a federal client expecting 508 compliance. Please provide update as soon as possible.
Hey Sherri,
Sorry to hear that this is affecting you as well.
You're in the right place to get updates when available.
This is a HUGE concern for us! With basic features like this non-functional, we are dead in the water (or looking at hours of re-work) on all our 508 projects. In short order, this could become a show-stopper for us using Storyline on accessible projects moving forward.
Leslie, Do you know if there's been any movement on this? I just had a request from our government client regarding contracting you directly. As Diane stated, its a big deal. Our client can't post their courses to their LMS until this is fixed.
Same problem, same boat as Sherri and Diane ... Internet Explorer 11, JAWS 18.0 ... nothing is stated for the Prev/Next button.
I would like an update on Articulate's movement to solution as well. My deadline is EOB tomorrow and I need compliant player buttons. Please provide an update with steps to resolution as soon as possible.
Sherri, I know I've seen past threads about people rolling back to an earlier program version. Maybe that's an option for you that the team could provide. I'm crossing my fingers on a fix release.
We're in the same boat with you. We blindly published 5 courses after the new update(s) came out and our delivery deadline is this week. We're hoping the client will allow it to go through with the understanding that an update is coming. Not sure about the rest of you folks, but our projects are for the Federal Government and they tend to get a little "testy" over issues like this, up to the point of delaying payment because we failed to deliver what was in the contract.
Thanks so much for the suggestion Bob, I may have to go that route if they don't come back with a viable solution very shortly. How would I go about making the request to roll back if I need to?
Hi Sherri - Sorry that you've run into an issue with this as well.
Anytime you wish to work directly with our support engineers, you may do so here.
I've opened a support case on your behalf for this though and you should be hearing from someone soon.
Thank you very much Leslie. I will be looking closely for their reply.
Leslie, I never heard from anyone at Articulate. Could you please provide an update on a resolution for this issue? I'd like specific steps rather than it is being looked into. Thank you.
I second that, Sherri.
My client is now failing to comply with WCAG requirements in being forced by timelines to deploy a course that is not fully accessible. In addition to their budget for the deployment approximately doubling due to the need to repeatedly test and re-test unstable accessibility functionality, they will have to circle back and spend further budget on republishing and redeploying once this bug is addressed (if this bug is addressed?).
If we cannot rely on core functionality to remain accessible from one version to the next, it definitely calls into question our choice of Storyline 360 as our preferred development tool.
Hi Sherri and Trinity,
I'm really sorry this bug is causing such a headache for you. We are heads down working on a fix for this bug as we speak, and we're committed to keeping you posted with the latest information on that fix.
We understand that accessibility requirements are hugely important, and we're happy to provide you with a previous update of Storyline 360 until the fix is released.
Sherri, I see that you've already made that request, and my colleague Vic is going to reach out to you shortly.
Trinity, we are happy to do the same for you. You can request a previous update by clicking here, and we'll get that taken care of for you.
Thank you Alyssa, but recent previous versions had a bug whereby the Tab focus was causing some (random) items to be triggered (rather than needing to press Enter to trigger these items) in the HTML5 output. Neither option is ideal, frankly, but at this stage we will stay with the current version as it is at least leaving the non-sighted learner on the page they expect to be on.
Alyssa, I did receive an email from Robert de la Cuesta with a little more explanation of what is being done to resolve this issue followed by an email from Vic with directions on how to roll back to a previous version. While this was appreciated, both of these emails came 3 days after I reported the issue and within 1 day of the 2nd 508 review on my course - too late to be of any benefit. I was already implementing and finalizing work-arounds - at added time and cost - for this issue. If this is the priority given to 508 compliance by Articulate, we will also have to seriously reconsider it as our preferred choice for authoring.
Hi, We are having similar issues and have submitted a case. Our case number is #01240347. Could we please be provided with a link to a previous version of Storyline 360 without these problems as well? We are on a timeline crunch with a Government client and need to be able to publish our courses in 508 compliance. I requested this from our support person but have not received instructions yet.
Hi Landon!
I just checked in on your case, and I see that Cleo send you the installer file for Storyline 360 Update 11, as well as instructions on how to get it up and running. Let me know if you don't see his email, and we'll resend it to you!
Hey everybody. I'm excited to let you know that we just released update 13 for Storyline 360! It includes new features and fixes - check them all out here.
One of the fixes addresses an issue where JAWS was not reading the previous and next buttons, and the spacebar wasn't activating those buttons in HTML5 output.
Here’s how you can update Storyline 360 to take advantage of everything the latest release has to offer. Let me know how you make out!
Hey everyone, I believe this same issue is affecting Storyline 3. I have Storyline 3 fully updated (last update was in May 2018) and the JAWS screen reader will not read the Next button when tabbed to it. Is there an update or fallback method for Storyline 3?
Hey Kenneth,
Thanks so much for reaching out and sharing your experience. I see that you reached out to our support team as well and Renson is taking a look.
Looks like he provided some additional feedback and testing for you and I'd recommend continuing to work directly with him in your case.
Hi, I have the same problem. The JAWS screen reader will not read the Next button when tabbed to it when there is not text label like. Did you find a solution?
I use Storyline 3, version 3.5.16548.0, IE11 and JAWS 2019.1810.64 - October 2018.
In attachment, the capture screen of the configuration.
Thank You
Hello Loic! What publishing format are you using?
Also, if you don't mind sharing your file with our team, we'll help you with further testing!
This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.