arieh/ariamessager

A tool for posting messages to screen readers (mootools)

ARIAMessager

This little Class priveds an interface with which you can send messages to screen reader. This can be helpful to notify the reader that a certain part of the page was mdified/updated, or for creating interactive widgets that also work for screen readers.

NOTE: I don't have the mney for a screen reader, so I've created this Class according to various articles and recommendations on the web. If you have a screen reader or access to one, I'll be happy to hear how this Class actually functions

How to use

The Class's messaging mechanism uses the aria-live attribute. This attribute tells the screen reader to notify the user whenever the element's content is changed. The Class uses a hidden element in the page to update new content. The Class can either receive an element that you created, or create one of it's own. Usage example can be:

#JS
var AM = new ARIAMessager;

/* simple use */
AM.writeMessage("I've just added new content");


/* real world example for notifing on AJAX changed */

req = new Request.HTML({
        onSuccess : function(html){
            var message = "New Update Received. To read it, press  control g";
            
            /* this function should focus on the element. Not a reccomended way to use this, but its only a demo */
            function goto(e){
                $('updated').set('tabindex',100);
                document.removeEvent('keydown:keys(control+g)',goto);
                e.stop();
            }
            
            AM.writeMessage(message);
            
            document.addEvent('keydown:keys(control+g)',goto);
        }
        , url : 'path/to/somewher'
        , update : $('updated')
    }).send();

The Class also provides a helper tool for clearing JAWS virtual buffer (should work for v7+):

#JS
AM.updateBuffer();