Navigating on the Web: Headings and Links
Accessing information on the internet is a primary reason to use your device. VoiceOver and its commands make it easy once you learn how it works.
Learning to listen and control VoiceOver is a very important skill if you want to control your iOS device, after all you are practicing that right now. Remember, that you can make VoiceOver stop talking with a Two Finger Single Tap or a press of the Control key if you are using an external keyboard.
The best way for you to learn how to move around a web page, is to build an understanding of how they are organized, and how you can use that knowledge to easily navigate them.
How Does the Internet Work?
The consumer of information on the internet with a visual impairment needs to be able to open a web browser, type in an internet address, and load a web page that they want to explore.
Luckly, the internet is a highly structured place which means its very structure gives you the means to control and use it.
Everything on the internet is coded into HTML documents that live on a Server that is connected to the Internet.
There is a lot in that last sentence, let's break it down a little. HTML stands for hypertext markup language, it is the language written into the html document which tells your web browser what to display on your screen.
An html document lives on a computer called a Server. The Server is connected to the internet where it hosts that html file for a user like you to visit.
As a result, the internet is an immense web of inter-connected servers, and an even more immense number of web pages stored on those servers. You might have heard the internet called the World Wide Web before, it's because of the way it was designed.
HTML pages, or web pages, have features that can make it easier to use if it has been coded correctly. We will examine these features as we continue.
Have you noticed that VoiceOver says something extra when it reads the text on the screen, something like, Heading level 2, as it does on this line?
This is because, like this line, it was coded as a Heading level 2 when it was written.
This is another Heading, however listen as VoiceOver calls it a Heading level 3.
This is because, while the first lines were coded as Heading level 2, the last was coded as a Heading level 3; you may even notice that the line you are on now is coded as a Heading level 4!
Headings
Headings are a very important web page element for a screen reader user, they organize the page by identifying the important sections of the page. Once you understand this, you can use a gesture or command to move from heading to heading, or from main section to main section, very easily.
When you reach the heading you are interested in reading more about, you need to change the way you are navigating.
You can use the Rotor to navigate by line so that you can read more in the section.
Lower Heading levels, such as a Heading Level 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, are used below the heading level 1 to further organize the information provided in that area.
A heading provides the main idea for an area; the area below a heading provides the supporting information. This allows you to quickly navigate to an area on the web page you may be interested in, and then access the supporting information without having to visit every item on the page to find what you are looking for.
Remember, exploring the headings is a good way to learn what is on an unfamilar web page.
Text Elements
The supporting information that you find under a heading is usually coded as a text element. It is written as a sentence, a paragraph, or series of paragraphs. When you reach a text element, VoiceOver reads the text and then tells you that it is a text element, as it does on this line.
Links
A link is a specially coded piece of text that tells your web browser that it should open another web page when you click on it.
Links provide the connections that make the internet possible. How could you have a World Wide Web without some way to link the pages together?
To activate a link, move to the link and Double-Tap with One Finger.
Putting it all Together
I hope this helped you understand how headings, links, and text elements are used on a web page. There are more element types that we will explore in the following lessons, but right now we are going to try this out by having you find a heading entitled Puzzle.
Firstly, you will need to find the heading that is titled puzzle, then explore the text elements below the heading to read the clues by swiping right with one finger.
Finally, explore the answer links to find the correct answer and click it to go to the next page.
To make it more difficult for you, I have hidden the puzzle and the links you need to leave the page. You will need to navigate to find them!
Explore some nonsense poetry by reading on, or solve the puzzle and to move to the next page; it's all the same to me.
Jabberwocky BY LEWIS CARROLL
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
He chortled in his joy.
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
I do like that one.
Puzzle
Ah, here is your puzzle. I hope you got here quickly. If you did, you missed a cool poem. Go back to the Jabberwocky heading and read the nonsense poem!
I am light as a feather,
But even the strongest person,
Couldn't hold me for more than a minute.
What Am I?
Hummm, I wonder what that is? If you navigate by link you can jump to the answers!
There was
an Old Man
in a tree,
Who was
horribly bored
by a Bee;
When they
said,
‘Does it buzz?’
He replied,
‘Yes, it does!’
‘It’s a regular
brute
of
a
Bee!’
Here are your answer links, choose carefully.