Accessibility Management for Web Embedded Applications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Web pages and embedded applications often fail to coherently present content and complementary content via assistive technologies, making them inaccessible to individuals with disabilities and non-compliant with government accessibility mandates.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that restricts assistive technologies from accessing background content when an embedded application is in focus, using a modal dialog to overlay content and provide additional functionality, while allowing access only to the embedded application's content, and re-enabling access when the modal dialog is closed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If assistive technologies access all content on a web page including background content, then the assistive technology can provide comprehensive information, but the screen reader reproduces audio information for both web page content and embedded application content causing incoherent presentation and making the web page inaccessible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the web page content into distinct accessible regions: foreground content region (embedded application) and background content region (web page content). When the embedded application is in focus, the system selectively enables assistive technology access only to the foreground content region while disabling access to the background content region. This segmentation prevents the screen reader from reproducing both content types simultaneously, ensuring coherent presentation while maintaining accessibility compliance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a modal dialog overlays background content to provide additional functionality, then the embedded application's functionality is enhanced, but the background content becomes completely inaccessible to assistive technologies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality control by creating distinct accessibility zones within the web page. The modal dialog structure defines a foreground content region with high accessibility priority (where assistive technology focus is directed) and a background content region with reduced accessibility priority (where assistive technology access is selectively disabled when foreground is active). This local differentiation allows the embedded application to provide enhanced functionality through the modal dialog while maintaining a structured approach to background content accessibility based on focus state.
3Quantity of substance
If the screen reader reproduces audio information for all visible content, then users receive complete information, but users with disabilities cannot distinguish between web page content and embedded application content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic accessibility management where the system continuously monitors the focus state of the embedded application and dynamically adjusts assistive technology behavior accordingly. When the embedded application gains focus, the system dynamically enables accessibility only for foreground content and disables it for background content. When the embedded application loses focus or is closed, the system dynamically reverses the accessibility configuration. This dynamic adaptation ensures that assistive technologies provide complete information about the active content while preventing confusion between different content types, thereby improving ease of operation for users with disabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are device, system and method embodiments for managing accessibility on customer web pages. A user device operates by receiving selection of a control of an embedded application presented in a webpage including visible content, receiving configuration code associated with the embedded application instance, and presenting a modal dialog on the webpage generated based on the embedded application instance and the configuration code. Further, the user device disables access by an assistive technology to Hypertext Markup Language elements associated with the visible content in response to the presentation of the modal dialog.