starwatcher: Western windmill, clouds in background, trees around base. (Default)
StarWatcher ([personal profile] starwatcher) wrote in [personal profile] hope 2010-02-07 04:30 am (UTC)

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I know I'm very late posting, but I hope you can answer a question.

I understand <em> and <strong> instead of <i> and <b>; the former provide spoken emphasis for the listener.

But there are times when I want a visual emphasis -- say, bold for a section heading, or italics for a book title -- but it would sound 'off' if there was spoken emphasis. I wouldn't want a screen reader to be 'shouting' a section heading, or giving spoken emphasis to a book title.

So, is it valid to use <em> and <strong> when I want spoken emphasis, and <i> and <b> when I want only visual emphasis? I've listened to books on tape; such things as section headings and book titles are understood in context, without a major vocal change.

Or is there some commonly-used alternative that I need to learn?

What about section breaks? Does a screen reader make note of a standard <hr>? Or is there something more efficient? Should I put in a <hr> for visual readers, along with a visually 'hidden' (same font color, same background color) notation of 'scene break' for a screen reader to speak aloud?

Thanks for any help. I'm starting a new fic-journal on DW, and I'd like to make the stories screen-reader accessible as much as possible.
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