Hello Community,

a happy and healthy new year to all of you!

We found that supporting visually impaired or blind users in PowerBuilder DataWindows is a particular challenge.

DataWindows can be read to some extent by screen reader software as long as the user hovers over columns that are not in edit mode. However, if the user's eyesight is impaired or he is even blind, the use of the mouse cannot be seriously expected.

1. Has anyone from the PB community dealt with accessibility of PB applications, especially with the use of screen reader software to read the content of DataWindows?
   
   
2. If so, do you know of any screen reader software that performs particularly well, or at least better than others, in relation to PowerBuilder DataWindows?
3. Are there any workarounds that can help screen reader software to read out the fields that are currently being edited without having to use the mouse?

Our customers require screen reader support for keyboard operation. In other words, they want to be able to tab through a data window and have each column, including its title and content, read aloud according to the tab order. We can define a title by filling the "AccessibleName" property, but this no longer exists for the screen reader as soon as the column is in Edit State.

As Ken from Appeon analyzed:

"When a column in the DW is in the Edit State (got the focus and cursor), its Windows Class Type will be changed to a standard Windows Class, it won't be DWO class type anymore so it doesn't have the AccessibleName and AccessibleDescription functionalities.

It will read the AccessibleName of this column if you only hover the mouse over the one which is uneditable."

We are happy about every thought-provoking impulse.

Thank you in advance and best regards
Frieso

Background information:
Public administrations in the EU are obliged to provide their employees with accessible software. In Germany, this obligation is enforced by the Barrier-free Information Technology Ordinance - BITV 2.0 (Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung - BITV 2.0)
in conjunction with the Disability Equality Act (Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz).

If a software product does not meet these requirements, the operation of this software may be prohibited.