Forum Discussion
Storyline Lists Failing 508: ANDI Shows List Hidden from Screen Readers
Has anyone else run into this accessibility problem?
When I create a bulleted list in Storyline using the built-in bullet formatting (plain text box, base layer), the published HTML fails WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1 / Section 508 when tested with ANDI.
ANDI detects a <ul> with <li> elements, but flags them as hidden from screen readers with this alert:
Accessibility Alert: Element is hidden from screen reader using [aria-hidden=true].
Storyline appears to auto-generate Alternative Text from the visible text in the text box and replaces the list structure with a flat text string. JAWS reads the words in the list but never announces “list with X items” because the semantic list is hidden.
I’ve tried:
- Clearing Alt Text (it re-populates on publish)
- Rebuilding in a plain text box with built-in bullets
- Removing grouping, shapes, layering, and animations
- Testing in a brand-new .story file
The result is always the same: ANDI flags the list as hidden and JAWS reads it as plain text.
Interestingly, tables don’t trigger this behavior; they keep their structure intact.
Is this auto-Alt-Text behavior intended? And is there a way to publish lists so they remain programmatically determinable for 508 compliance?
5 Replies
Hi jfpolis87,
I’m sorry to hear that you’re running into this issue. Just to clarify, are you adding the bulleted list in the Notes section of Storyline? We have a related existing bug report for lists in the Notes section being hidden from screen readers, specifically when tested with JAWS and NVDA.
If this matches what you’re experiencing, please let me know. If the issue is happening outside the Notes section or under different circumstances, any additional details would be helpful so we can investigate further. You can also reach out to us through a support case if you’d like more targeted help. Thank you for sharing your findings!
Hi, Eric, The list is not in the Notes section. It was built for the main screen using Storyline's built-in bullet formatting.
Thanks for the feedback, jfpolis87!
I tried reproducing this in both the latest versions of NVDA and JAWS (screenshots of my tests are attached), but I wasn’t able to reproduce the issue. I used a bulleted list in the slide, not in the Notes section. In my tests, the screen readers correctly announced “list with/of X items.”
Here’s the Review 360 link to the attached course where I conducted the test.
If the issue persists on your end, could you please share the Storyline project file so we can test it directly? You can post it here or privately through a support case. Also, what JAWS and browser versions are you using?
Looking forward to your response.
Hi jfpolis87
I'm happy to test along with you using ANDI.
I published and tested the example that EricSantos shared to a web server (feel free to test this output), and I see an Aria-Hidden Alert on the text box with the bulleted list using ANDI. The specific alert I'm seeing is:
Element is focusable but has or is contained by [aria-hidden=true]. Focusable element is not in the keyboard tab order and has no accessible name; should it be tabbable?
The automated test using ANDI warns about potential risk, probably because this element has a tabindex=. However, tabindex= -1 indicates the item should not be focusable, and hidden things shouldn't be focusable, which is correct for a text box because it's not interactive.JAWS is reading the semantic list for me as expected during usability testing:
Hi jfpolis87!
Great to see my teammates Eric and Leslie have been helping you!
I noticed that you've also opened a support case being handled by my colleague, Lejan. It looks like he replied to your e-mail, sharing additional insight on your request.
If you have any follow-up questions, feel free to reconnect with Lejan through your case!
