Is there anything in my file that is causing screen reader to say "Blank" and other strange things.

Hi Jennifer!

I'd be happy to explain why your NVDA screen reader is behaving that way!

Based on NVDA's keyboard shortcuts, using the down arrow reads the on-screen text and the Tab key navigates to interactive objects like buttons. What you're experiencing is expected when it comes to keyboard shortcuts.

When NVDA announces "blank," that means you've navigated to an empty spot and need to navigate to the next item.

I was able to replicate this issue using NVDA, but not with other screen readers. We filed a report with NVDA, and they shared the following regarding the expected behavior:

“This is intentional, it lets the user know that their interaction was successful, even if there is no content to report.”

Here is a link to the report if you want to share why this is not beneficial for users.

What you're noticing is expected when using a screen reader.