Convert emoticons to icons and set an alternate text label
Emoticons, such as :) or :( , are often misinterpreted by screen reading software. By converting these items to graphics with an alternative text (such as “smile” or “frown”), a screen reader can process them and present them to the user in a way that makes sense.
Discussion by Disabilities
This makes it easier for screen reader users to understand emoticons in messages they receive.
Existing Products
These products are not necessarily endorsed by RtF, but represent the range of available options.
Many screen readers offer this feature.
Related Research and Papers
- H86: Providing text alternatives for ASCII art, emoticons, and leetspeak. W3C WCAG Techniques.
- Computer‐mediated communication use by the deaf and hard‐of‐hearing- J.M. Bishop
- E‐mail interviewing in qualitative research: A methodological discussion- Lokman I. Meho
- Theories and methods for studying online communities for people with disabilities and older people- Ulrike Pfeil and Panayiotis Zaphiris
- Evaluation of auditory representations for selected applications of a graphical user interface- Gyorgy Wersenyi
- The Accessibility of Chinese Social Media Apps- Mike Kent, Katie Ellis, Jian Xu
- Putting Your Emotions on Screen- Reid Goldsborough
- Screen Reading: Challenges of the new literacy- Jennifer Thurstun