The basic WordPress audio player does include volume and time slider controls, but unfortunately, they are not fully accessible with screen readers like NVDA. This is because the default media player relies on HTML5 elements that may not provide proper ARIA roles or keyboard navigability for screen reader users.
Currently, NVDA can read the elapsed and total time of the track but does not recognize the slider, making it impossible to adjust playback position or volume. To improve accessibility, consider the following solutions:
Use an Accessible Audio Player Plugin – There are WordPress plugins like “MediaElement.js” or “Accessible Audio Player” that provide better accessibility support with proper ARIA labels and keyboard navigation.
Custom ARIA Enhancements – Developers can add ARIA attributes to the default player to improve its accessibility, ensuring sliders are focusable and navigable using keyboard shortcuts.
Keyboard Shortcuts for Control – If modifying the player is not an option, NVDA users can use general media playback keyboard shortcuts (such as volume controls on the keyboard) to adjust the audio indirectly.
Since this is a limitation of the default WordPress audio player, raising the issue with WordPress developers or using a third-party accessible media player could be the best way forward.
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The basic WordPress audio player does include volume and time slider controls, but they are not fully accessible with screen readers like NVDA. NVDA can read elapsed and total track time but does not detect the sliders, preventing adjustments to playback position or volume.
Solutions:
Use an Accessible Audio Player Plugin – Install plugins like “MediaElement.js” or “WP Accessible Audio Player” that offer improved accessibility with ARIA labels and keyboard navigation.
Custom ARIA Enhancements – Developers can enhance the default player by adding ARIA roles, states, and keyboard focus to sliders for better screen reader compatibility.
Keyboard Shortcuts – Use system-level media keys (e.g., volume up/down) as a workaround to adjust volume, though this doesn’t address the time slider issue.
