How do visually impaired and blind people navigate a website with a screen reader

The importance of an accessible website

You make a website accessible to give more people access to the content you offer. Even when they read, see, or navigate differently. Many people with a visual impairment use a screen reader to find information online, enjoy entertainment, and maintain contacts. The screen reader is a program that can read all the information on a computer, laptop, or mobile device aloud. The program reads the element that the user selects. When opening the homepage of a site, this is often the logo first, if it is located in the top left corner. The screen reader reads chronologically from left to right, from top to bottom, and can be controlled with keyboard commands. For example, you can navigate from the first clickable element to the next using the tab key. It is therefore important that your pages are well-structured and have a logical order so that the user can quickly scan and view the website.

Navigation with buttons and headings

A website that seems to work well with a mouse can still be incredibly difficult for a visually impaired person to navigate. Some users prefer to have all headings (H1, H2, H3) read aloud first to determine if the website's content is interesting to them. Others prefer to navigate via an overview of all links first. If the titles are not properly structured or if the texts of the links do not clearly indicate what to expect, these users miss a lot of information.

How to do this can be found in this article with 5 tips for an accessible website.

Rules for digital accessibility

All new websites of cultural institutions (with government subsidies) must be made digitally accessible. For this, the WCAG 2.1 rules have been established. But even with all good intentions, it can still be difficult to understand why you need to follow these rules and what the consequences are for people with disabilities if you don't. For example, how does a blind person navigate with a screen reader? And how can you try this yourself?

How do you navigate a website with a screen reader

Therefore, DEN asked Rik Wouters to demonstrate how he moves online as a blind person. He uses Safari as a browser and Apple's free VoiceOver screen reader. In the video below, he explains how his screen reader works and how he reads a website.

With the visual demonstration of how Rik navigates a website, it may seem easier to understand how a website is structured. But what if the visuals are gone? How do you experience navigating a page 'blind'? In the video below, we take you into Rik's perspective.