bcgov / bcgov/lcfs

LCFS - Screen Reader Does Not Announce Comment Editor Formatting Toolbar Controls

Open
#4,922 0 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
bug Medium UX
Dominant language
Python
Stars
6
Forks
6
Avg merge
2d 7h
Merged PRs (30d)
87

Description

**Describe the Bug**
Within the Organisation Dashboard comment editor, the screen reader does not announce the formatting toolbar controls available above the comment text area. Users navigating with assistive technologies cannot identify the purpose of the toolbar buttons, including formatting options such as Bold, Italic, Bulleted List, and Numbered List.

Image

**Expected Behaviour**
When users navigate to the comment editor toolbar, the screen reader should announce the accessible name, role, and state of each formatting control. Users should be able to understand the purpose of each button and interact with the formatting tools using a keyboard and screen reader.

**Actual Behaviour**
The screen reader does not announce the formatting tool names, making the toolbar controls inaccessible to users who rely on assistive technologies.

**Implications**
Users who rely on screen readers cannot determine which formatting options are available or apply text formatting independently. This creates an accessibility barrier within the comment editor and limits access to functionality that is available to sighted users.

**Steps To Reproduce**
Steps to reproduce the behaviour:

User/Role: Organisation User using a Screen Reader

1. Go to the Organisation Dashboard.
2. Navigate to a comment section containing the rich text editor (e.g., Company Overview comments).
3. Move focus to the formatting toolbar above the comment text area.
4. Navigate through the available formatting buttons using a keyboard and screen reader.
5. Listen to the screen reader announcement.
6. Observe that the formatting controls are not announced with meaningful names such as "Bold", "Italic", "Bulleted List", or "Numbered List".
7. Attempt to identify available formatting options using screen reader output alone.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by reproducing the issue in the Organisation Dashboard comment editor with a keyboard and screen reader, then inspect the formatting toolbar controls above the comment text area. Done means controls such as Bold, Italic, Bulleted List, and Numbered List expose meaningful names, roles, and states and can be identified and used through screen-reader output alone.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
accessibility, frontend
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
58/100

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