Webinar
Screen Readers and Beyond
A hands-on introduction to digital accessibility. Learn what screen readers are and how to use them.
Monday, August 31, 2026
9:00 AM CEST (Paris) / 5:00 PM AEST (Sydney)
Watch the recording
Why screen readers matter
There are around 2.2B people with visual impairment in the world
They are your current and prospective users, and they deserve to enjoy the expeirence of navigating your product or using your service. Screen readers allow people with visual impairments (and many others, too) browse the Web, use mobile phones, work and have fun.
Although screen readers have been developed for people with vision impairments, they are used by a variety of users: for instance, people may turn to screen readers to reduce their screen time, read emails aloud, or for extra privacy.
Building for the future
We are designing for the users of today and tomorrow.
We are the users of tomorrow.
What is a screen reader
Screen readers are programmes that live in your devices
Screen readers are built into Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac. They act as the link between the operating system and the user. Depending on the setup, a screen reader may read content aloud or translate it for a braille display.
Mac Voiceover
Windows Narrator
iOS
Settings Accessibility Voiceover
Android
Settings Accessibility TalkBack
How screen readers work
The fundamentals
It is not possible to master a screen reader in one short session. Nevetheless, you must understand how screen readers scan content and how they present information to their users. We begin by looking into three important elements that make it possible to browse the Web using screen readers.
Heading 1
Heading 2
Heading 3
Heading 4
Headings
Headings are like chapter titles in a book. Screen readers can jump to any heading on the page. Headings convey the architecture of content, so it's important to get them right.
Landmarks
Landmarks break each page into standard areas, such as header, navigation, footer, main, and others, making it easy to jump between sections.
A golden retriever catching a frisbee mid-air in a sunlit park
Close-up of hands typing on a mechanical keyboard
Aerial view of a winding coastal highway at sunset
A steaming bowl of ramen with a soft-boiled egg and scallions
Children flying kites on a windy autumn afternoon
A lighthouse standing against a stormy grey sky
A golden retriever catching a frisbee mid-air in a sunlit park
Close-up of hands typing on a mechanical keyboard
Aerial view of a winding coastal highway at sunset
A steaming bowl of ramen with a soft-boiled egg and scallions
Children flying kites on a windy autumn afternoon
A lighthouse standing against a stormy grey sky
Text descriptions
Images, videos, icons, and other non-text elements must feature text descriptions that can be read by screen readers and other users who may enounter them.
Put it to practice
We've asked our participants to browse a website of their choosing with screen reader on and capture their experience. Check out our FigJam board to see what they've uncovered.
Open the FigJam board
What's next
More events are coming
We are planning our next webinars and in-person sessions where we will learn more about accessibility. Keep an eye out for the updates in our blog.
Open our blog