input[type="number"] element (html)

Expectation: convey its name

Rationale:

A screen reader user needs to know what to enter.

Strength of this expectation for different types of assistive technologies:

• Screen Readers: MUST
• Voice Control: MUST

Notes:

For form inputs - commands to read line by line (down and up arrows in most windows screen readers) will not always result in the name being explicitly conveyed when the virtual focus is moved to an input where the label is visually displayed and programmatically associated with the input. This is acceptable because the name is implied by the fact that it should be naturally found in the reading order. Some screen readers choose to not convey the name in these cases, likely in an effort to reduce verbosity.

Examples:

• A screen reader will announce the name (label).
• Voice control software will let the user say something like "click <name>" to activate the control.

Expectation: convey its role

Rationale:

A screen reader user needs to know how they can interact with the element. Voice control software might use the role to help users activate controls that do not have a visible name.

Strength of this expectation for different types of assistive technologies:

• Screen Readers: MUST
• Voice Control: MUST

Examples:

• A screen reader might be announce the role as "number", "text input", "edit", "edit text", "spinbox", "spin button", "incrementable" etc.
• Voice control software will let the user say something like "click edit" to focus a the input or flag the role with a number.

Expectation: convey the current value

Rationale:

A screen reader user needs to know the current value of the input.

Strength of this expectation for different types of assistive technologies:

• Screen Readers: MUST
• Voice Control: NA

Expectation: convey changes in value

Rationale:

The user needs to know that the value was successfully changed.

Strength of this expectation for different types of assistive technologies:

• Screen Readers: MUST
• Voice Control: NA

Examples:

• When the user enter texts, the screen reader will announce it back to them.

Expectation: provide shortcuts to jump to this role

Rationale:

Screen reader users might want to quickly navigate to elements of this type.

Strength of this expectation for different types of assistive technologies:

• Screen Readers: SHOULD
• Voice Control: NA

Expectation: allow incrementing and decrementing the value

Rationale:

users might want to increment and decrement the value

Strength of this expectation for different types of assistive technologies:

• Screen Readers: MAY
• Voice Control: MAY

Examples:

• Desktop screen readers might allow users to adjust the value by pressing up and down arrows
• Mobile screen readers might allow users to adjust the value by swiping up or down
• Voice control software might allow someone to say something like "increment <name>"

Expectation: allow data entry

Rationale:

Users need to be able to enter data

Strength of this expectation for different types of assistive technologies:

• Screen Readers: NA
• Voice Control: MUST

Examples:

• Voice control software might allow someone to dictate data into a field once it is focused.

Expectation: convey when input is rejected

Rationale:

The number input only allows numbers to be entered. Characters that the user attempts to enter that are outside of the allowed characters are rejected by the input and never displayed visually. Because a sighted user gets this visual feedback that their input was not accepted, a blind screen reader user also needs to know when input is not accepted. Otherwise, the user might assume that the data was accepted.

Strength of this expectation for different types of assistive technologies:

• Screen Readers: MUST
• Voice Control: NA

Examples:

• the behavior might be implied if the control is conveyed as something like "number", "spinbox", "spin button", or "incrementable"
• some AT/browser combinations will allow invalid input but convey the field as invalid
• screen readers might announce an earcon when the user tries to enter data beyond the maximum length.
• screen readers might imply that the input was rejected by not announcing anything when a user tries to enter data (usually the keypress is echoed)