JAWS update fixes PDF table headers problem
15 May 2010
Summary
We recently notified Freedom Scientific (makers of JAWS screen reader software) of a problem with JAWS 11. Unlike older versions, JAWS 11 was reading PDF-based table headers incorrectly. An update has now been released with a fix. This short article explains the problem and the solution.
Navigating a table in JAWS
A JAWS user typically uses Ctrl + Alt + the arrow keys to move from one table cell to the next. In this way, provided the table has been created properly in the first place, JAWS should read out the contents of all header cells that are associated with a particular data cell before reading the contents of the data cell itself.
For example, when moving from the first to the second cell in row three of Table 1 below, JAWS should announce: “January, Apples, 5”, and on moving to the right again “February, Oranges, 7”, and so on. Using this technique it is relatively straightforward to make sense of the table and its contents.
| January | February | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Oranges | Apples | Oranges | Apples |
| 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 8 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
The problem
However, when reading a PDF-based version of Table 1 above using JAWS 11 (as was), only the second row of headers would be announced and the top row ignored. For example, moving along the third row of Table 1, the user would hear only: “Apples, 5”; “Oranges, 7”; “Apples, 9”, thus rendering the table effectively unintelligible. As stated previously, this had not been a problem in previous combinations of PDF/JAWS. Nor was it a problem in HTML tables.
The fix
JAWS version 11.0.1430 has now been released with a fix for this problem. With the update, the older, correct behaviour has been restored. The free upgrade is available at: JAWS 11 upgrade.
In order to test a PDF-based version of Table 1 above, please download PDF table headers test, PDF (12.58KB)
Ted Page Director PWS
PDF accessibility services
We specialise in accessible PDF editing and PDF accessibility training, including WCAG 2.0 compliance. Call us on 01932 355 222 for further information.
RSS