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\What are screen readers?

content in speech through a synthetiser (text, images, menu, symbols)
modifier keys can trigger specific commands

some device can output speech and braille simultaneously
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pdfs if not ocrd they are just undreaable..
image is read in the editor as "google shape" (not having alt-text)

"Generate alt-text for me" button
creates a general description (through ai image recognition)
adding "automatically generated description"

through tab, shift+tab
through H (go to headings)
use up and down arrows will jump through different tags (p, img, a ...)
if you are in a form you will go into focus mode.
lot of time in spent in learning the short cuts of your keyboards because you are navigating without mouse

on a linux system there is ORCA [not sure how diffused how usable]

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predictability and consistency about horizontal scanning can help orientation at these scales
(imaginging navigating a window at 4x navigation)

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"a person with arms raised above their head"
"a woman dancing"
when on kaai site... dance IS the context (often), so what is the function of the image on a specific page
why is the image there / what is the function of the image how do we address it correctly
is the function to hold the interest of the visitor... (imagine the same function being satisfied in alt-text form)

can one think through a description-first ( or alt-text -first) image selection?
"it's not that the visual doesn't matter" (assumption of a blind reader exclusively using a screen reader misses the frequent case of combination of screen-reader + magnification)

\\\Case study: personal website of Alyssa
https://www.alyssagersony.com/
built on squarespace using mostly wcag guidelines
WCAG guidlines : https://w3c.github.io/wcag/guidelines/22/

she designed it and implemented individually and asked for comments and tests

What do you include in an image description?
Worked with a variety of inputs, mainly friends asked, with different points of view...
There's no "right way", some have a preference for more detailed information about clothing, others more interested in compositioni (her body is centered in the frame). There's of course a layer of subjectivity.

test public is one way of course, can be friends at a small scale, institutions can put resources into it..

What's at the top of the screen is read (by a screen reader) first.
Place to put a "disclaimer" of what is coming up on the page,
menu / navigation
short description of what's coming in the page

horizontal lines can help separate areas
video has next of each other two version:
one with closed captions
another with audio description

artists often dont have time for this.
- how we create spaces and resources to make their work accessible

alt-text/image description
can they be combined? is it a shotcut, what are the limitations?

image description give a visiiblity to the choice of not being only-visual, and offer more space to elaborate and give more rich descriptions, but you need to develop layouts and templates to accomodate and build around them.
alt-text is built into the HTML (attribute of an image tag)
image description needs to be added to the content of a page (or CMS).
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is there plugins that add descriptions?

providing alt-text is labour intesive

"Reframing expectations around the visual excitement of artist websites and influencing other artists to reconsider their design priorities."

Multilingual?
alt-text is generally put in english.. what are alternative approaches?

\\\Current issues: audio description

Audio description and performance is a critical topic today, and has been for the last 20 years.
COVID-19 brought more awareness, (as performance was experienced more broadly online)
CC/SL Interpretation and AD protocols for audiences with disabilityies

Audio description resources to consider:
* Art Spark Texas, presenter playlist on youtube
* https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw_YbnDP_sLboN8RAijLVrphKne04BBvO
* Description Victoria list of resources
? https://descriptionvictoria.com.au/

\\\\Practical implications

can come in the way of JAWS and other software, if you use it be mindful of how to integrate it..
who is it there for, what is it there to do
Add-ons (Ai-powered)
https://userway.org/

Question of for who are such modifications for (doesn't really include audience that's already using screen readers)

Structural protocols to implement predictability so people know what to expect on your platform
* Standard practice for amassing descriptions, alt text, hiring practice for outsourcing CC for video trailers / descriptions.
What can you do now to integrate this information into your website plan?
Work with specific communities / local.
"Nothing about us without us" - James I. Charlton

Would writing alt-text be an interesting job for a dramaturg?
Or is this a bad idea, ... who should you hire (if you would hire)?

Depends on cultural context / specific necessity...
Start from a position of Disability Justice.
Some organisations (wihin disability justice) may have already integrated a sense of dramaturgy, for instance.
For others it might be new.

References & Resources
https://www.rnib.org.uk/living-with-sight-loss/assistive-aids-and-technology/computers/screen-reading-software/
https://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey9/#proficiency
https://www.nvaccess.org/
https://support.apple.com/guide/voiceover-guide/welcome/web
https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/
https://www.perkins.org/resource/how-write-alt-text-and-image-descriptions-visually-impaired

haptic tours would allow other senses than description access some of the material of the performance before the performance > https://www.jesscurtisgravity.org/access
example of feeling certain dance combinations (that are hard to describe / experience)

//

software side

orca reader for linux, nvda is floss but for windows

can this software skip ADS?

might be that popups and other elements are skipped by the reader

iOs for the phone also has built-in voice over

Voice customization: Choose voice, speed, and verbosity

tunings:
> voice tone
> voice speed
> verbosity

Lynxs, browser for the command line
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx_(web_browser)
wondering if this approach is also used by the community, would be good to get in touch and find out :)
(might be very relevant considering the constant publics!) 

what happens when we use screen reader on the command line??

--
Lunch break
--

14:30: things that we can do in the afternoon 

we split in groups of three to look at constant's website

- interest in seeing difference using built in screen readers (mac/windows/linux) vs other things work on constant page  
- aria labels tags that can hide certain elements from the reader  
- accessibility inspector / tree

- improve / rewrite the access page of constant, consider guides we listed in the reader   
https://constantvzw.org/site/Accessibility.html  
https://kaaitheater.be/en/practical#accessibility

- more alt-text/description writing   
- trying audio description

- a screen reader tour through the web pages of either constant, kaai, guislain  
- pass the sites through different tools around accessibility (wcag,...)

- curious about the linux screenreader (orca)  
- would be cool to make an audio description for an event ^^  
- animated text generation tools, happy to explore (ahnjili)

- kaai website's access issues   
- compare different websites, learn to some extent how to audit

-language and translation questions, also in relation to voiceover

website run!  
>> https://circulations.constantvzw.org/2024/drempel/etherdump/pad/p/day_4-website-run

its really listy -----

15:00 : screenreading of Constant and Kaaitheater website through voice over

15:00: 

- 1 group: alt-text and/or audio description and/or animated text generation tools  
- 2 group: exploring free software screenreaders  
- 3 group: aria labels, further screenreading  
    https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Attributes/aria-label  
https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/devtools-user/accessibility_inspector/index.html  
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Accessibility

https://w3c.github.io/wcag/guidelines/22/

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vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

take-home
the aria creates a parallel tree form the dom that can be modified
the accessibility function in the browser gives access to this tree

wikipedia predictably is a good example of aria usage

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