microsoft / microsoft/terminal

{Freeway Bug} [Windows Terminal - Settings - Profile - Appearance]: Screen reader does not announce navigation hint for list items in 'Variable font axes' and 'Font features' sections, causing associated Edit/Delete actions to be undiscoverable.

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A11ySev2 A11yWCAG Area-Accessibility HCL-E+D HCL-WindowsTerminal Issue-Bug Product-Terminal WindowsTerminal_Win32
Dominant language
C++
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Description

### Windows Terminal version

1.25.1912.0

### Windows build number

28120.2760

### Other Software

**Test Environment:**
OS: Windows 11 Version Dev (OS Build 28120.2760)
App: Windows Terminal Preview
Screen Reader: Narrator

### Steps to reproduce

**Repro steps:**
1. Open the 'Windows Terminal' application.
2. Navigate to 'Settings' control and activate it.
3. 'Settings' page will open.
4. Now navigate to 'Profiles' section.
5. Navigate to 'Defaults' control and activate it.
6. Now navigate to 'Appearance' button and activate it.
7. Turn on Narrator by pressing 'Ctrl + Windows + Enter' keys.
8. Expand the Variable font axes or Font features section.
9. Navigate through the list items (e.g., Italic (ital), Weight (wght), Fractions (frac), Ordinals (ordn), etc.) using keyboard navigation.
10. Observe the screen reader announcement when focus lands on a list item.
11. Attempt to discover and navigate to the associated action controls (Edit/Value field and Delete button) using only screen reader feedback.

**User experience:**
Screen reader users may miss important functionality associated with font feature entries because no indication is provided that edit and delete actions exist. This reduces discoverability, creates a confusing navigation experience, and may prevent users from successfully modifying or removing font settings.

**Attachment:**
https://onedrive.cloud.microsoft/:u:/a@pz6xd287/S/IQB1REm5DelyTpCrVqaaa9dlATaJEuyt3VA2DwCwWnfJqVk?e=XzfhZE

**WCAG Reference Link:**
https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/info-and-relationships

### Expected Behavior

- When focus lands on a list item within the Variable font axes or Font features sections, screen reader should provide contextual guidance indicating that additional controls are available.
- The announcement should include a navigation hint such as: "Press Tab to access associated edit and delete controls." Or another equivalent instruction that informs users of the available actions.
- Screen reader users should be made aware that the item contains related interactive controls that can be reached through keyboard navigation.

### Actual Behavior

- Screen reader announces only the list item information.
- No instruction or navigation hint is provided indicating that additional actionable controls (such as Edit/Value field and Delete button) are available for the currently focused item.
- Users may incorrectly assume that the announced item is static content and may not discover the associated controls.
- The presence of additional actions is only evident visually.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by reproducing the issue in Windows Terminal Settings > Profiles > Defaults > Appearance with Narrator, focusing on the Variable font axes and Font features list items. No source file or test is named; done means the focused items expose a clear keyboard navigation hint for their associated edit and delete controls.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
accessibility, desktop
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
55/100

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