Why is so much attention given to Web accessibility for screen readers?
Spatial layout and graphical style are primary means to convey information on the World Wide Web. Sighted users know what information to attend to, often because of its appearance, an eye-catching image, or its placement on the page. Speech, by contrast, is strictly linear. The linear constraints of screen readers make them good mechanisms for testing the accessibility of a Web site. Accessibility for screen readers demands the strictest separation of Web content from its style of presentation. This separation makes Web documents more flexible for different devices or Web browsers, regardless of screen size, colors, or the browser’s ability to display graphics. When a page’s content has a linear structure, it makes sense when the screen reader reads top-left to bottom-right. This linear structure creates benefits that extend to users who use screen magnification software like ZoomText, people with learning disabilities, and people who rely on slow forms of input like on-screen keyboard
