Change Text Entry Variable without control losing focus?

Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('.acc-textinput')).forEach(el => {
    el.ariaHidden = 'true';
    el.addEventListener('keyup', () => {
        el.blur();
        el.focus();
    })
});

There may be a way to amend the code to take that into account—see above. Setting an element's attribute to 'aria-hidden="true"' should prevent screen readers from announcing anything relating to that element. 

I don't know exactly how Storyline is set up for screenreaders so the above may/may not work. It's worth a try. 

Let us know how you get on.