Create a Logical Outline with Headings

Author:
Paul Bohman
Director of Training
Twitter: @paulbohman

When people who are blind listen to web pages with their screen readers, they can't easily get a sense for the way the content on a page is organized in the same way that sighted users can with a quick glance. Blind users might listen to the whole page linearly, one item at a time, but that can take a long time.

Many blind users will pull up a list of headings first, to try to get a sense of what is on the page and how it is organized. Screen readers let users listen to the headings and go directly to any of the headings. This saves the users time and allows them to make a mental map of the page without having to listen to the whole thing.

Be sure to use real headings (<h1>, <h2>, etc.), and not just big bold text!