Caution
This document is an English translation of the “freee Accessibility Guidelines.” The normative version of this document is in Japanese, and the English version is informational. The English translation is incomplete, and any links with their link texts left in Japanese are untranslated. Please be aware that there may be inaccuracies in the translation or parts that are outdated.
What Information Should Not Be Read Aloud by Screen Readers?
Last Updated: April 12, 2024
Tags: Screen Reader
Question / Problem
It is unclear how to determine which elements should be read aloud and which should not by a screen reader.
Answer / Conclusion
If you are unsure whether something should be read aloud by a screen reader, make it read aloud.
If there is an image that is inserted decoratively and has no meaning, or an image such as an icon, and there is exactly the same text immediately after it, it should not be read aloud.
Other elements should generally be read aloud.
Explanation
The decision on what information to filter should ultimately be left to the user. Therefore, as a principle, all meaningful information should be made readable.
However, images inserted purely for decoration without any meaning should not be read aloud.
Images such as icons where identical meaning text immediately follows, also should not be read aloud. This helps avoid the duplication of information.
Information that does not pose a problem even if not read aloud may not need to be displayed on the screen at all.