Forum Discussion
Accessing video controls using a keyboard
I'm trying to test a course using NVDA and the keyboard only. My course has video slides, with the new "accessible" player controls enabled. However, I can't figure out how to access those controls using only the keyboard (no mouse clicks).
It's great that there's a button with the transcript automatically generated from the CC, but I can't seem to navigate to any of those buttons using the keyboard.
Help!
Hello Ana,
Happy to help! I understand you'd like to navigate the Storyline video controls using NVDA.
You can use the TAB key to read the next focusable item (i.e., Link or Button) and the ENTER key to activate them. Here's an article that you can refer to for the most commonly used screen reader commands:
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have additional questions.
Hi Eric,
Thanks for responding. Using the Tab key never gets me into the video player controls on my video slide. The built-in video player controls--which are supposed to be accessible--do not seem to be "focusable items" when using the Tab key to navigate.
Tab just takes me to "Back to Top" then back to the whole slide (or it takes me into the Storyline player controls).
See the attached screen recording of me navigating my video slide using the keyboard (Tab and Enter) and NVDA.
What am I missing?
I cannot figure out how to select the new Transcript button in the video player using keyboard navigation (Tab and Enter), which is obviously a deal-breaker for users who don't use a mouse.
Hi AnaFulton-49f72 I haven't looked into your particular issue, but reading this post it stood out to me that you are using Tab + Enter with a screen reader to navigate. The TAB + ENTER keys are used more commonly for keyboard navigation, when not using a screen reader. When using a screen reader, a bit more nuance in navigation is required, as the TAB key will only arrive at interactive elements (buttons, form elements etc). Have you tried using your up + down arrow keys to navigate content on screen. I'm not sure how familiar you are with screen readers, but if you are not very experienced with one, I would recommend getting a document that has the common shortcut keys to allow you to navigate to the content. As mentioned, TAB key is hardly used when I'm using a keyboard + screen reader to read content and test for accessibility. Could the keys you are using be the problem?
Thanks SamHill. Yes, I also tried using the up and down arrow keys. I'm not a super experienced NVDA user, but I know how to switch between browse mode (arrow keys) and focus mode (Tab + Enter or Spacebar for interactive elements). And I am able to navigate through Storyline courses using only the keyboard and NVDA, completing questions and activities along the way.
However, no combination of keys that I try will allow me to access the new "accessible" video player controls.
