Correspondence with Apple Concerning iTunes 12.4.

Hi to all

You may have noticed if you have upgraded to iTunes version 12.4, the most recent release, that there are accessibility difficulties with a primary component of the application when using screen-readers.

As a result of this, I wrote to accessibility@apple.com to share my concerns. The response I received was to some extent predictable. This is disappointing because Apple have made tremendous strides in the accessibility arena, particularly on the I O S platform.

I share with you my initial Email, their response, and my subsequent reply.

Initial Email.

Hello

Since the introduction of iTunes 12.4, there are many lists which screen-readers cannot interpret. These include music tracks within the artists and album views. The only list which is accessible is when the alphabetical list of songs is displayed. Even when the artist or album views are set to a list format rather than a grid, the information is not exposed to a screen-reader.

While JAWS for Windows is my primary screen-reader, I have tested with similar technologies with the same result.

Using Windows8.1 and Windows10, iTunes 12.4 64 bit.

Regards:

Brian Hartgen

Response.

Hello,
Thank you for your email. At this time Apple includes support for the Window-Eyes screen reader in iTunes. Other screen readers may require an update.
If you find that another screen reader is not working correctly, please check with the application developer to see if they have an update for the software.

Apple Accessibility

response.

Hello

Thank you for your reply.

Although I appreciate you writing to me, with respect this is not the kind of response I expect from Apple Accessibility. In terms of working with your own products, (I have an Apple Watch, iPhone and have had a MacBook Pro in the past), I have found all your staff extremely helpful, whether or not they have been part of the accessibility team. Your reply however demonstrates a lack of understanding on the part of visually impaired people using the majority of screen-readers.

Prior to outlining specific information, I should say that I followed your recommendation. I downloaded the Window-Eyes screen-reader and checked it against my findings detailed below. I can confirm that Window-Eyes exhibits exactly the same behaviour as is found in the other screen-readers.
Specifically, there are list boxes which do not communicate information to the screen-reader. Window-Eyes will just report the term, "List Box", when viewing by album or by artist. The visual focus is moving as one traverses through such lists.

I have been a supporter of iTunes for many years. As a developer of script files to support the JAWS screen-reader, I was instrumental in creating access to iTunes in the days of version 4.9 onwards. This was a time when Apple did not implement any level of accessibility for iTunes, so I was assisting blind people such as myself to access iTunes when no one else even cared. I think I can safely say therefore that I have knowledge of how the program functions.

Given that your recommended solution does not yield good results, I can only assume that very little accessibility testing has been carried out in this regard. iTunes has never been the most accessible application, but until this version, it has been fairly usable.

My final point is this. According to a widely available survey of screen-reader users, (WebAIM Screen Reader User Survey #6), while it is true that the use of Window-Eyes is on the increase, (probably due to its free availability), awareness of the NVDA screen-reader is also heightening. Even taking this into account, For respondents that report blindness, 38.9% of the survey respondents use JAWS, with 26.5% using Window-Eyes. In terms of low vision, 16.5% use JAWS, 12.2% use Window-Eyes. So clearly, Apple are not supporting those screen-reader users by a very significant margin. There is also an argument to say that if the program was designed with accessibility in mind, a preference for a screen-reading platform would be irrelevant.

I would be very interested to know please predominantly when Apple will give attention to this matter and also what level of accessibility testing is employed prior to a release of new iTunes updates.

Regards:

Brian Hartgen