Issue List: Issue: WYSIWYG Editor for Message Composer

The editor included in the message composer window cannot be used with a screen reader. The buttons in the editor do not have corresponding keyboard shortcuts.

These editors are going to be difficult for screen readers users always. Mapping keyboard shortcuts will be hard, since there will be difficulty finding mappings that don’t conflict with screen reader key mappings. One possible “solution” would be to implement a text-only option that parsed the editor window contents using a sort of wiki-text, such as the fairly standard use of asterisks and underlines to implement bold and italics. Links should be automatically recognized when the types in a URL preceded by http or https. Headings and horizontal rules could similarly be implemented using h1. or h2. and dash dash dash dash. Bullet lists and order lists with askerisks and hash signs, etc. Obviously, these features would need to be combined with user training and menu-based help.

This issue has been revised on 7/21/08. A variation of it appears either in global issues or in the resolved issues section.