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Avoid Screen Reader “Freak Out”

Modern screen readers are able to read dynamic, scripted content updates within a web page. However, if the content a screen reader is currently reading or focused on changes or is removed/hidden from the page, the screen reader “freaks out” due to this loss of focus, and typically reverts focus to the top of the page. This can be very problematic if a page has continually updating content areas (such as a page area for updating sports scores or stock quotes). This screen reader issue can generally be avoided by ensuring that page content updates are controlled by the user or that they do not update when the screen reader is within that area of the page. ARIA live regions provide a mechanism for avoiding screen reader “freak out”. When page elements disappear or are hidden, such as when a user closes a modal dialog window, focus must be set with JavaScript focus() to a logical element within the page.

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