Navigate the App Fully Using a Screen Reader
Peer mentors with visual impairments, particularly those working within Blindeforbundet, rely entirely on screen readers such as VoiceOver (iOS) or TalkBack (Android). Every interactive element, label, heading, and status indicator must expose correct semantics to the accessibility tree. The semantics wrapper widget must annotate all custom widgets — including bottom navigation, modal sheets, cards, and form fields — with meaningful labels, roles, and hints. The screen reader detection service must detect active assistive technology and adjust the UI experience accordingly (e.g., suppressing purely decorative animations, ensuring focus order is logical).
User Story
Acceptance Criteria
- Given a peer mentor with VoiceOver enabled, when they open the app, then the focus is placed on the first meaningful element on the screen with a correct label read aloud
- Given any screen in the app, when navigating with swipe-right (next element), then every interactive control has a descriptive accessibility label and a role (button, heading, link, etc.)
- Given a bottom navigation bar, when a peer mentor selects a tab with VoiceOver, then the selected state and tab name are announced (e.g., 'Home, tab, selected, 1 of 5')
- Given a modal sheet is opened, when the screen reader is active, then focus is moved into the modal and trapped within it until dismissed
- Given decorative icons or images, when the screen reader traverses them, then they are marked as hidden from accessibility and not announced
- Given the screen-reader-detection-service detects an active screen reader, when the user navigates a list, then swipe-left/right focus traversal follows a logical reading order matching the visual layout
Business Value
Visual impairment is a primary use case for Blindeforbundet's peer mentors — the app was specifically designed to serve this community. Failing to support screen readers would exclude the very users the platform is built for, making it unusable for the most vulnerable population and undermining the entire value proposition of the product. WCAG 2.2 AA compliance is a legal and contractual requirement, and screen reader support is its most critical pillar.
Components
- Semantics Wrapper Widget ui
- Accessible Bottom Navigation ui
- Accessible Modal Sheet Widget ui
- Screen Reader Detection Service service
- Focus Management Service service
- Semantics Service Facade infrastructure
- Accessible Bottom Navigation Bar ui
- Modal Close Button ui
- Persistent Back Button ui
- Navigation Accessibility Service service
- Navigation Route Configuration infrastructure