Use JAWS with Web Fallback Views for Desktop-Based Coordination Tasks
Web fallback views rendered in the application must expose proper ARIA landmark regions (main, nav, aside, banner), ARIA roles for all interactive controls, and ARIA-live regions for dynamic content. All interactive functionality accessible via touch in the mobile app must also be accessible via keyboard-only navigation in web views. The Semantic Label Service must resolve labels for JAWS in the same way it does for VoiceOver and TalkBack. Tab order in web fallback forms must follow logical reading order. Focus must be managed correctly when modals open and close. All buttons and links must have discernible ARIA labels if their visual text is insufficient for context.
User Story
Acceptance Criteria
- Given JAWS is active and a coordinator opens the report generation web view, when navigating via Tab key, then focus moves through all interactive controls in a logical order without skipping or trapping
- Given JAWS is active on the approval queue web view, when a new approval item is loaded dynamically, then JAWS announces the update via an ARIA-live region
- Given JAWS is active and a modal dialog opens, when focus enters the modal, then JAWS announces the dialog title and all interactive elements within it are reachable before the dialog closes
- Given a coordinator uses the keyboard to submit a Bufdir report form, when pressing Enter on the submit button, then the action triggers and JAWS announces the confirmation state
- Given JAWS reads the navigation landmark regions, when the page loads, then it identifies main, navigation, and banner regions correctly so the coordinator can jump between sections efficiently
- Given an ARIA label is required for an icon-only button in the web view, when JAWS focuses it, then a descriptive label is announced rather than the icon name or an empty announcement
Business Value
Coordinators primarily work in office settings and frequently use desktop computers for administrative tasks that involve reviewing large datasets, generating reports, and managing bulk operations. JAWS is the dominant screen reader in enterprise and office environments. Excluding JAWS support from web fallback views would make the coordinator role inaccessible to visually impaired coordinators, which is both a legal compliance gap and an organizational equity issue for partner organizations whose staff may themselves have visual impairments.
Components
- Accessible Widget Library ui
- Semantic Label Service service