508 - Will screenreader read object that is hidden on page show

Hi Carlos - I, too, have done quite a bit of work making sure my courses are compliant and compatible with screen readers, so I'll offer what I've learned in my testing and consulting.

When you choose to hide a text block, it includes the attribute "visibility: hidden" and will not be read by a screen reader, even if "Initially Hidden" is not selected. Screen readers typically do not start reading until the page is fully rendered. I say typically because there may be a setting within the screen reader to start immediately rather than waiting for the page to finish loading.

I've used a different solution for this scenario using Change Contents, assigning a class to the text block, and JavaScript to add an attribute to the text block. There is an attribute "aria-live" that can be used on elements to alert screen readers of changes on a site and can be "assertive" or "polite". I've attached a short sample with how I implement the solution.

I'd recommend browsing the WebAim.org site that has a ton of information on 508/WCAG solutions. One specific page is on Invisible Content Just for Screen Reader Users that addresses this to some extent. You can also download NVDA, which is a free (donation appreciated) screen reader that is very similar to JAWS, to do some testing.