Narrator screen reader is not announcing the list items present in the dropdown.: A11y_WPF Runtime_MainWindow_ScreenReader

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GitHub Tags

#A11yTCS; #A11ySev3; #A11yMAS; WCAG1.3.1; #Info and Relationships; #Element:ListItems; #WPF; #BM_WPFRuntime_Win32_JUNE2025; #Win32; #DesktopApp; #FTP;

Environment Details:

Application Name:  WPF
Version: recent .NET 10 build
OS: Windows 11[Version 23H2(OS Build 22631.3593)]
Screen reader: Narrator, NVDA

Repro Steps:

1. Start Narrator/ NVDA.
2. Open the sample app.
3. TAB to dropdown and hit ENTER key.
4. Observe that Narrator screen reader is not announcing the list items present in the dropdown.

Actual Result:

Narrator screen reader is not announcing the list items present in the dropdown, it remains silent.

NVDA announces the information about the list items.

Expected Result:

Narrator screen reader should be announcing the list items present in the dropdown as for example "Hello 1 of 3" also it should be announcing the selected state as selected or not.

User Impact:

Users who relying on Screen reader will be impacted as they cannot perceive the list items, making it difficult to understand the content or structure of the list items. The lack of proper announcements creates barriers for users with disabilities, making the application non-inclusive.

Attachment

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/70493461-2eb8-4141-8bdc-f331bd82760f

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9cab3bae-212e-4b8d-b9fc-2557b9c07ac3

Sample App:

WpfApp2_combobox_isEditableBreaksNarratorFocus_bug.zip

Open the attached WpfApp2_combobox_isEditableBreaksNarratorFocus_bug.zip sample app and reproduce the dropdown behavior with Narrator, then compare it with NVDA. Done means Narrator announces each list item, its position such as “Hello 1 of 3,” and whether it is selected.