Accessibility Features

ControlNav is designed from the ground up for blind and visually impaired screen reader users.

Screen Reader Compatibility

Supported Screen Readers

ControlNav is fully compatible with:

  • JAWS (Job Access With Speech) - All recent versions
  • NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) - 2019.3 and later
  • Windows Narrator - Windows 10/11 built-in screen reader

Native Accessibility Support

Windows UI Automation

ControlNav uses native Windows UI Automation (UIA):

  • All controls properly labeled
  • Selection changes announced automatically
  • Focus management follows Windows standards
  • No custom scripting required

What Screen Readers Announce

When navigating the control list, screen readers announce:

  • Control name (e.g., "Save")
  • Control type (e.g., "Button")
  • Position in list (e.g., "Item 5 of 23")
  • Loading progress during enumeration

Keyboard Accessibility

Complete Keyboard Access

Every feature in ControlNav is accessible via keyboard:

  • Global shortcut activation (Ctrl+Alt+L)
  • Arrow key navigation in search box
  • Tab navigation between controls
  • Alt+C to click, Alt+F to focus
  • Enter to execute actions
  • Escape to cancel

No Mouse Required

ControlNav is designed for keyboard-only operation:

  • All buttons have keyboard shortcuts
  • No drag-and-drop operations
  • No mouse-hover requirements
  • Clear focus indicators

Dark Mode Accessibility

ControlNav supports Windows dark mode for users who prefer reduced brightness:

  • Automatically follows Windows theme setting
  • High contrast between text and background in both modes
  • All windows support dark mode
  • No additional configuration needed

Special Features for Screen Reader Users

Arrow Key Navigation in Search Box

Key Innovation: Unlike standard text boxes, the search box in ControlNav lets you:

  • Type your search query
  • Use Up and Down arrows to navigate results
  • Keep focus in the search box the entire time
  • No need to Tab to the list

This saves keystrokes and makes navigation much faster with a screen reader.

Automatic Selection

  • When you filter controls, the first result is automatically selected
  • Screen readers announce the selection immediately
  • No need to manually select the first item

Lazy Loading with Feedback

  • Controls load progressively in the background
  • Status bar updates with loading progress
  • You can start searching immediately while controls continue loading
  • Screen reader announces when loading is complete

Real-Time Feedback

  • Filter changes are announced instantly
  • Number of results is updated dynamically
  • "No results" message when filter matches nothing

Using ControlNav with JAWS

Recommended JAWS Settings

  1. PC Cursor Mode - Use PC cursor for navigation
  2. Forms Mode - Enable automatically when focus enters edit boxes
  3. Say All - Use Insert+Down Arrow to read all controls

JAWS Scripts

ControlNav doesn't require custom JAWS scripts. All functionality works with default JAWS settings.

Using ControlNav with NVDA

Recommended NVDA Settings

  1. Browse Mode - Use browse mode for reading
  2. Focus Mode - Automatically switches in edit boxes
  3. Speech Settings - Enable "Report object descriptions"

NVDA Add-ons

No NVDA add-ons are required. ControlNav works with vanilla NVDA.

NVDA and wxPython Applications

ControlNav v1.1.2+ includes special support for wxPython applications (like NVDA's own Preferences window). When the standard UIA tree is broken, ControlNav uses an HWND fallback to discover controls.

Using ControlNav with Narrator

Recommended Narrator Settings

  1. Verbosity - Set to "Level 3" or higher for detailed announcements
  2. Context - Enable "Hear detailed information about controls"

Narrator Commands

  • Caps Lock+I - Read current item
  • Caps Lock+Down Arrow - Continuous reading
  • Tab - Move to next control

Accessibility Tips

Efficient Workflow

  1. Activate with shortcut - Press Ctrl+Alt+L
  2. Type your search - Filter the list immediately
  3. Navigate with arrows - Use Up/Down to find the right control
  4. Execute with Enter - Activate the control and close

Finding Controls Quickly

  • Type the control name - e.g., "save" finds "Save" button
  • Type the control type - e.g., "edit" finds all text boxes

Understanding Control Types

Common control types you'll encounter:

  • Button - Clickable buttons (Save, Cancel, OK)
  • Edit - Text input fields
  • CheckBox - Checkable boxes
  • ComboBox - Dropdown lists
  • ListItem - Items in lists
  • TabItem - Tabs in tab controls
  • Hyperlink - Clickable links
  • MenuItem - Menu entries
  • RadioButton - Option selectors
  • TreeItem - Tree view nodes

Multilingual Accessibility

ControlNav is available in 8 languages, ensuring screen reader users worldwide can use it in their preferred language:

  • English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch

All window labels, button text, menu items, and status messages are translated. Screen readers will announce controls in the selected language.

Accessibility Testing

ControlNav has been tested with:

  • JAWS 2023 and 2024
  • NVDA 2023.1 and later
  • Windows Narrator on Windows 10 and 11

Reporting Accessibility Issues

If you encounter accessibility issues:

  1. Note the screen reader and version
  2. Describe the issue in detail
  3. Report on GitHub or contact support
  4. Include steps to reproduce

Next Steps