Access Notifications and Notification Settings With a Screen Reader
The notification centre is a central hub for time-sensitive information — assignment arrivals, certification expiry warnings, pause confirmations, and scenario-based prompts. Each notification list item must have a fully descriptive accessibility label that includes the notification type, title, body text, and timestamp. The notification filter bar must announce the currently active filter. The notification badge widget on the bottom navigation must announce the unread count. Notification settings must have properly labelled toggles with their current state announced. Deep links from notifications must manage focus correctly when the target screen opens, ensuring the user lands in a meaningful location.
User Story
Acceptance Criteria
- Given the peer mentor opens the notification centre with VoiceOver, when they navigate the list, then each item is announced as '[type]: [title], [body], [time ago], [read/unread]'
- Given the notification tab badge shows 3 unread notifications, when the screen reader is on the bottom nav, then it announces 'Notifications, 3 unread, tab, 5 of 5'
- Given the notification filter bar has 'Assignments' selected, when the screen reader focuses on it, then it announces 'Filter: Assignments, active'
- Given a notification is tapped and deep links to a contact detail screen, when the screen opens, then focus is placed on the contact name heading
- Given the notification settings screen loads, when the screen reader traverses toggles, then each toggle announces its label, current state (on/off), and hint for interaction
- Given a new in-app notification arrives while the notification centre is open, when it appears in the list, then a polite live region announces 'New notification: [title]'
Business Value
Assignment notifications are how visually impaired peer mentors at Blindeforbundet receive new cases — including sensitive personal details about the people they will visit. If notifications are inaccessible, the peer mentor cannot know they have a new assignment, cannot read who to contact, and cannot acknowledge the assignment — breaking the entire assignment pipeline. Accessible notifications are a mission-critical function, not a UX enhancement.
Components
- Notification Center Screen ui
- Notification Settings Screen ui
- Notification Badge Widget ui
- Notification List Item Widget ui
- Notification Deep Link Handler service
- Notification Centre Screen ui
- Notification List Item ui
- Notification Filter Bar ui
- Notification Tab Badge ui
- Notification BLoC service
- Notification Deep Link Handler service
- Notification Accessibility Announcer infrastructure
- Live Region Announcer ui
- Focus Management Service service
- Accessibility Live Region Announcer infrastructure
- Notification Accessibility Configuration infrastructure