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Testing Your Site with Screen Readers: VoiceOver, NVDA, and JAWS

Learn how to test your website with popular screen readers to ensure it's accessible to blind and low-vision users.

Testing Your Site with Screen Readers: VoiceOver, NVDA, and JAWS

Automated testing catches many accessibility issues, but testing with actual screen readers reveals how your site really works for users who depend on them. Here's how to get started.

Why Test with Screen Readers?

  • Automated tools can't catch everything
  • You'll understand how your content is actually announced
  • You'll find issues with reading order and focus management
  • You'll discover if your ARIA is helping or hindering

VoiceOver (macOS and iOS)

VoiceOver is built into every Mac and iPhone—no installation needed.

Getting Started on Mac

  1. Press Cmd + F5 to turn on VoiceOver
  2. Press Cmd + F5 again to turn it off

Essential Commands

  • VO + Right Arrow: Move to next item (VO = Control + Option)
  • VO + Left Arrow: Move to previous item
  • VO + Space: Activate an item (click)
  • VO + U: Open the rotor (quick navigation)
  • Tab: Next focusable element

NVDA (Windows)

NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is free, open-source, and the most popular screen reader among screen reader users.

Essential Commands

  • Insert + Down Arrow: Read continuously from cursor
  • Down Arrow: Next line
  • Tab: Next focusable element
  • H: Next heading
  • Insert + F7: Elements list (headings, links, landmarks)

What to Test

Page Structure

  1. Is the page title announced correctly?
  2. Can you navigate by headings? Are they in logical order?
  3. Are landmarks (nav, main, footer) present and labeled?

Images

  1. Are meaningful images described?
  2. Are decorative images skipped?
  3. Do image descriptions make sense without seeing the image?

Forms

  1. Is each input labeled?
  2. Are required fields indicated?
  3. Are errors announced?
  4. Can you complete and submit the form?

Common Issues You'll Find

  • Images with missing or unhelpful alt text
  • Buttons that just say "button" or "click"
  • Links that say "click here" or "read more"
  • Forms with unlabeled inputs
  • Focus getting lost after interactions

Combine with Automated Testing

Manual screen reader testing is invaluable but time-consuming. Use SiteDNA to automatically scan for accessibility issues first, then verify key flows with screen reader testing.