MathSciNet

This assessment covers the MathSciNet application. The assessment revealed significant problems with screen reader compatibility and keyboard-only navigation. Screen reader users are not provided with critical information needed for understanding forms. Additionally, repetitive blocks of content cannot be
skipped. Because of this, people with motor disabilities will likely find the application very difficult to use.

Top 3 Issues:

1. Forms are missing labels – Most form fields are missing programmatic labels. A screen reader user will not know the purpose of a form field when it is not programmatically associated with a visible label. Because of this, many screen reader users will find the application very difficult to use.
2. Search results page is refreshed after changing a filter – The entire page is refreshed after changing the value of a filter. This forces blind screen reader users and people with motor disabilities to start back at the top of the page every time a filter is changed. Many users will find this very frustrating and time consuming. Many will most likely find the application difficult to use.
3. Missing landmarks, heading structure, and skip links – Screen reader software uses landmarks and heading structure to provide an overview of the page. These structures also let blind users jump to different sections of a page and quickly access information that might otherwise take a long time to navigate to. Additionally, most people with motor disabilities will use a keyboard or a device that emulates key strokes to navigate pages. The site contains repetitive blocks of content that cannot be skipped, such as site navigation and search result filters. Furthermore, keyboard-only users will not be able to use the search result filters because there is no visual indication of focus within that section of the page.