Grouping elements when it makes sense can make a huge impact on easing navigation with some assistive technologies like VoiceOver, Switch Control, or Full Keyboard Access. It also helps on reducing redundancy.
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Custom actions work well with VoiceOver and Switch Control. It is also a way of speeding up navigation, and grouping all actions available for an item in a single place, with Full Keyboard Access. Focus an item and use the shortcut Tab (⇥) + Z.
Meet the rotor. A menu that you activate (and change options) by rotating two fingers on the screen. It lets you select different navigation modes and customizations. Like navigating through headings or changing VoiceOver’s speaking rate.
The Accessibility APIs are generic and flexible. They're not just for VoiceOver. If you implement them right, you can do it once and it will very likely work great for VoiceOver, Voice Control, Switch Control, Full Keyboard Access, and more. That's why, to start with, we tend to focus on VoiceOver, the same way you may focus on keyboard navigation for the web. A great VoiceOver experience will get you most of the way to a good experience with the other assistive technologies. We've seen one example with Custom Actions. One implementation works for: VoiceOver: https://x.com/dadederk/status/1550099327053451266 Switch Control: https://x.com/dadederk/status/1551236244088279040 Full Keyboard Access: https://x.com/dadederk/status/1551874732504629249 And Voice Control: https://x.com/dadederk/status/1552253520182640645 Of course that doesn't mean you don't have to test and check how the experience is with the other technologies. But before feeling overwhelmed, or for small teams, making sure your app works for VoiceOver is a great start.
