Accessibility With Screen Readers and On-Screen Keyboards in a WPF Kiosk Application

Question

I have a WPF application that runs at the museum I work for. I'd like to make it more accessible but I'm having a hard time figuring out the logistics of a few things.

Since this is a kiosk application with a touch screen and an on-screen keyboard, is it feasible to expect a screen reader to read every single key character button when expecting input from a visually impaired person? Since our kiosks don't have physical keyboards, we rely on a custom on screen keyboard. Using this with a screen reader is downright exhausting.

Also, is there any guidance for developing accessible kiosk applications in WPF? I'm unable to find any best practices on this topic.

Answer 1

A few resources to check out.

• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/ui-automation/accessibility-best-practices
• https://www.link.nyc/faq.html#talkback
• http://assistratech.com/

Also, you can use WCAG for guidance an accessible principles such as color contrast, zooming text, links, etc.

Answer 2

"Since this is a kiosk application with a touch screen and an on-screen keyboard, is it feasible to expect a screen reader to read every single key character button when expecting input from a visually impaired person?"

It is feasible, yes. This is the model used by all touch screen devices capable of running a screen reader (iOS and Android devices for example).

The basic interaction is to move your finger over the screen until you locate the key you want (the screen reader will announce each key as your finger moves over it). Most touch screen devices with screen readers then offer two forms of interaction: * Double tap to select the key * Lift your finger to select the key

The latter is somewhat quicker than the former, but even so it's still much slower than typing on an actual keyboard. This is why some screen reader users choose to dictate text on touch screen devices, rather than type it.

Using the .Net Framework it's possible to enable Narrator (Microsoft's integrated screen reader in Windows 10). Microsoft also has useful guidance for developing accessible applications that may be helpful.