I recently purchased a brand-new keyboard for my computer. It does not have any special features, such as wireless connectivity or ergonomic design. However, I hope the Alt and Tab keys are going to be especially resilient, because lately, I have been wearing those two keys out. Ever since I got into social networking, my fingers have been constantly pressing Alt and Tab to cycle between all of the browser windows I have open with sites like Facebook and Twitter. It is paramount to be on the top of your game as a high-profile social networker because you don't want to miss a single tweet or Facebook status update. To be totally honest, I don't think this new keyboard stands a chance with all the time I spend online!
Luckily, there might be a solution for those of us who are—dare I say it—addicted to social networking. Just so you know, for this article, I used a laptop equipped with Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8, and the latest version of a popular screenreader. Results may vary with other operating systems, browsers, or screenreaders.
Do You Yahoo?
Did you know that Yahoo offers far more than search and e-mail? Over the last couple of years, the company has completely revamped its homepage to become a one-stop destination for all of your Web-surfing needs. There is even a new name, Yahoo Frontpage. It is possible to personalize your frontpage to include applications that allow you to access your favorite social networks, including Facebook and Twitter. To take advantage of these exciting features, you'll need to have a Yahoo account. To get started, point your browser to Yahoo's website.
Getting Started
If you already have a Yahoo account, you can sign in using a handful of methods. The most common methods include pulling up a complete list of links on the page and tapping "S" until you find the sign-in box. Others might prefer to use their screenreader's find command to look for the word "sign." Yahoo has included new technology called landmarks, which are similar to both headings and custom bookmarks. Consult your screenreader's manual to learn how to cycle through the landmarks. If you navigate to the first status landmark and then hit either the Tab or down arrow, you will find links to either sign in or sign up for a new account.
The process for signing up is fairly straightforward. You will need to navigate to each field and fill in the appropriate information. Before submitting the form, you will be asked to complete a CAPTCHA. As a reminder, CAPTCHA stands for "completely automated public touring test to tell computers and humans apart." You may remember these as the squiggly letters users need to type into a box to prove they are not computer robots. If it has been a while since you last visited Yahoo, you will be happy to hear there is an audio alternative to the visual CAPTCHA. Unfortunately, users who are deaf-blind will need assistance from customer service. Yahoo provides information for contacting their team.
What's Next?
Once you have signed in, you'll want to customize your frontpage with the applications you are interested in. When Yahoo launched its new frontpage last year, the engineers did an excellent job of implementing headings and accessible buttons throughout the page. This makes it simple to navigate with your screenreader. Once you land on the Yahoo frontpage, use your preferred method of navigating by heading to a section called "My Favorites." Once you reach that section of the page, if you are familiar with the keystroke for navigating by list item with your screenreader, you can use it to see which applications you already have on your frontpage. Alternatively, you can use the down arrow to see what is there. If you don't find Facebook, you can use Tab or navigate to the first button that is labeled "Edit My Favorites" and activate it. On this screen, you'll want to look for a level-two heading that reads "Add Your Favorite Sites" and move down until you hear the instructions for adding new applications. Facebook was already in my list of applications, but if it were not there, I could have typed in the URL for the Facebook homepage, and in the second edit field, I could have typed in "Facebook." Don't forget to click the "I'm Done" button when you are finished to return to the frontpage.
Signing In
You must first have a Facebook account to make all of the magic happen. So open up a new tab and register for Facebook. Don't worry, we'll just wait right here for you to come back. Okay, all finished registering? Do you have your username and password handy? Great, now navigate back to the "My Favorites" area to find and activate the "Preview Facebook" button.
Once you find the link to log in, you will be required to enter your username and password. The next screen will be a user agreement that asks you if you agree with Yahoo's terms of service plus two checkboxes that you can toggle to control what Yahoo information is displayed on your Facebook account and whether you want your Facebook profile photo to appear on public areas of Yahoo.
What's It Like?
The next step is to begin accessing Facebook from the Yahoo frontpage. If you arrow down below the list of "My Favorites," you'll find the Facebook application. If you lose focus, you can navigate back to the level-two heading called "Facebook." The first item you will encounter is an "Options" button. This is a dynamic button that behaves differently than other buttons you may have encountered because when you activate it, the page does not reload. Instead, you will be presented with three links if you click the down arrow. The links are "Settings," "Help," and "Remove." The last link will remove your connection from Yahoo to Facebook. There is a link to take you directly to Facebook, and then finally, the application itself. It should be noted that the Facebook application is designed to behave as an application as opposed to a traditional webpage. This means that the page will not refresh every time you click on a control as it might on a static webpage. This may be a new experience for many readers.
The first three tabs you will encounter are "Home," "Profile," and "Friends." If you are on the Home tab, you will also see one tab for Newsfeed and another for Events and Birthdays. You will find an edit field labeled "What's On Your Mind" and a button labeled "Share," where you can update your Facebook status. Finally, you will come to the status updates of all of your friends. They are found within a list, so you can use your screenreader's navigation key to jump by list item. Your screenreader will read the item number plus the name of your Facebook friend. Continue to use the down arrow to read the update and the time it was posted as well as to find buttons to comment on and "like" the update.
Other Tabs
When you are in the home tab of the Facebook application, you can choose either Newsfeed or Events and Birthdays. Newsfeed will give you all of your status updates, while the latter tab will give you a list of all upcoming events and birthdays. If you switch to the Profile tab, you will be able to read all of your wall postings from your friends. Again, use the screenreader's quick keys to jump forward and backward by list item. You can also comment on or like any wall post. The Friends tab will show you a list of all of your friends in alphabetical order, but also sorted by first letter of their last name. You can navigate by heading for each letter of the alphabet and then use the up and down arrows to move within the list of names for that letter. Each name is a link that will take you to that friend's wall, where you can post a message if you would like.
Yahoo Classic Mail
Maybe you don't use the Yahoo frontpage, but you still want to access Facebook while you are signed into your mail account. If you use Yahoo Classic mail, you can see status updates from the welcome screen. After logging in to your account, use Alt plus the number 1 across the top row of keys (not from the number pad) or activate the link called "Welcome." At heading level three, you'll find a section called "Updates." If it is not already there, do not panic. There is a link on the page called "Options." This is another one of those new dynamic links that will not cause the page to refresh, but instead, make new choices appear. After clicking on Options, your screenreader should announce that you are sitting on a link called "Mail Options." If you do not hear that, use your up and down arrows to find Mail Options and activate that link. At heading level one are all of the options for using Classic mail. With the first checkbox, you can toggle on and off the updates feature in mail, with the second, you can link your account with Facebook. Make sure both of the boxes are checked. Finally, click on the "Back to Mail" button, and you should now be able to see your Facebook status updates on the welcome page. It should be noted that you will only be able to read, comment, and like your friends' Facebook status updates. You can navigate from update to update with your screenreader's heading navigation keys. There is only enough space to display six Facebook status updates, but there is a button that you can press to display additional ones.
What Else Do You Need to Know?
Yahoo is leading the way in providing accessible, rich Internet applications to users of assistive technology. There are many new experiences here waiting to be discovered. However, because some things are new, you should be ready for some trial and error.
Not all screanreaders are created equally, so some different techniques may be required. Your screenreader must support Accessible Rich Internet Applications, and this may mean that you need to upgrade to a higher version to get this level of support. Additionally, selecting a browser other than Internet Explorer 8 might affect your outcome. Sometimes your screenreader might switch modes on you unexpectedly, in which case, you will have to manually return to your preferred mode. I suggest you check your owner's manual to see how to refresh the virtual buffer because sometimes your screenreader might have missed something or the screen may have changed without alerting your screenreader.
The Nitty Gritty
Regardless of whether we are ready, the next generation of the Internet is upon us. Static webpages that constantly refresh each time information changes or we activate a link or control are going the way of the dodo bird and argyle socks. Web 2.0 is here to stay, and as users of assistive technology, we need to get used to dynamic webpages that change without refreshing the entire page. Yahoo has put forth an exceptional effort that proves that sites can be both accessible and cutting edge at the same time. Give it a shot, and if you like what you see, why not post about it on your Facebook page?
