Webaim has released its Survey of Preferences of Screen Readers Users conducted December 2008 through January 2009 It makes interesting if somewhat frustrating reading. While 1121 responses were received we are not told where they came from – I know some kiwi users responded – that might make a difference as different countries have different access to resources for users to have up to date technology.
The survey covered preferences in the following areas:
- Home Page Behavior
- “Skip” Links
- Access Keys
- Headings
- Search
- Site Maps
- Text-only Content
- Screen Reader-only Content
- Pop-up Windows
- Web 2.0
- Images
- Repeated Links
- Flash
- Frames
- Acrobat/PDF
The conclusions the survey draws are hardly surprising.
“What it tells us is that there is no typical screen reader user.”
It goes on to say “This survey emphasizes that screen reader accessibility is about real people – and people that have diverse abilities and preferences. As developers, we must do our best to accommodate the needs of this diverse group.”
“In general, these results suggest that following accessibility guidelines and standards, using technologies that support high levels of accessibility, and providing users with options is of the highest importance.”
There was a wide range of responses to the survey so it was difficult to make any hard and fast recommendations Webaim said.
One thing I found particularly interesting was the number of respondents who had more than one impairment, 118 respondents (10.4%) reported multiple disabilities. Perhaps since the respondents were self-selected people with more than one impairment are more likely to experience accessibility barriers and therefore more likely to respond. Developers might take this into account.
It is worth a read, and I recommend it to developers in particular. It is also worth noting that of course screen reader users are not the only people who experience web site accessibility barriers.
