[EuiLiveAnnouncer][A11y] Support live announcements on mount #8916

mgadewoll · 2025-07-28T08:59:44Z

Summary

This PR introduces a new component: EuiLiveAnnouncer. This component aims to provide an alternative way (to EuiScreenReaderLive) of handling live region announcements.

Information about the testing scope

It's not feasible for us to test all possible screen reader and browser combinations but we can determine a set that covers the majority of users. Based on the latest screen reader survey we can make some generic assumptions:

If we test the following combinations we can cover ~ 74% of usages:

JAWS/Chrome
NVDA/Chrome
JAWS/Edge (Chromium based)
NVDA/Firefox
VoiceOver/Safari

The Problem(s)

The limitation of aria-live regions is that they have to be loaded and available in the DOM before content changes are being read out by screen readers. This means that the available component EuiScreenReaderLive currently only reads content updates, but it does not read the content on mount.

EuiScreenReaderLive relies on two sibling aria-live regions which receive content updates in turn. This pattern aims to ensure predictable output even if announcements happen in rapid succession or identical content is passed.
Unfortunately this implementation showed flaws when testing. Especially the oscillating aria-hidden and aria-live attributes (code) cause varying output behaviors across different screen reader and browser combinations. It leads to announcements being skipped at time or not being read at all in some testing scenarios.

🚫 The current implementation results in no content being read at all in VoiceOver/Safari.

The proposed solution(s)

EuiLiveAnnouncer aims to provide support for announcements on mount, e.g. when showing UI based on user interaction. Additionally EuiLiveAnnouncer proposes a different approach to handling aria-live announcements to improve the output support and consistency across screen reader and browser combinations.

Important

EuiLiveAnnouncer is being added as standalone component next to EuiScreenReaderLive to test it while being in Beta status. This way we can adjust and compare behaviors. If the component proves to behave better than EuiScreenReaderLive across the board, the plan would be to replace EuiScreenReaderLive with EuiLiveAnnouncer.

How it's done

Announcements on mount

EuiLiveAnnouncer utilizes a minimal timeout on mount of the component to set the passed content. This means initially the DOM element renders without content and is being updated shortly after with the expected content. This ensures the content is read as an update to the DOM element happened.

Improve consistency of announcements

Instead of using two sibling elements that alternate being updated with content, EuiLiveAnnouncer uses a single DOM element and utilizes React state to set content and trigger re-renders.
Additionally it clears the content after a configurable timeout which ensures that duplicate content can be read as well as preventing duplicate content being available in the DOM for screen reader users to navigate.

Note

Clearing the content did not result in any issues when testing. A message that a screen reader started to read, was being read even after the content was cleared.

Component comparison

Feature	`EuiLiveAnnouncer`	`EuiScreenReaderLive`
Auto-clear message	Yes, after configurable timeout (`clearAfterMs`)	No
Announce on mount	Yes	No
Announce on message change	Yes	Yes
Focus on message change	No (could be added)	Yes (`focusRegionOnTextChange` prop)
Handles rapid updates	Yes	Yes
Output consistency	High	Medium
API stability	Beta/experimental	Stable

Known limitations and issues

Generic

🤷‍♀️ VoiceOver will at times read announcements twice in default Storybook view (it works as expected when viewing stories in standalone page view or actual implementations)

`EuiLiveAnnouncer`

Issue	screen reader	recordings
⚠️ Announcements on mount are at times skipped on opening a dialog	VoiceOver	Screen.Recording.2025-07-28.at.10.47.27.mov

`EuiScreenReaderLive`

Issue	screen reader	recordings
⚠️ Announcements are sometimes skipped	All	Screen.Recording.2025-07-28.at.10.40.38.mov
🚫 Announcements not read on mount or change	VoiceOver/Safari	Screen.Recording.2025-07-28.at.10.44.27.mov

Why are we making this change?

The new component aims to provide a solution to a missing functionality (live announcements on mount) as well as providing a more consistent live region announcement experience.

Screenshots

Screen recordings

combinations	mount & update	mount & update in a portalled scope
JAWS/Chromium (Chrome & Edge)	Screen.Recording.2025-07-24.at.19.49.59.mov	Screen.Recording.2025-07-24.at.19.53.54.mov
NVDA/Chrome	Screen.Recording.2025-07-28.at.10.22.16.mov	Screen.Recording.2025-07-28.at.10.27.01.mov
NVDA/Firefox	Screen.Recording.2025-07-24.at.19.57.25.mov	Screen.Recording.2025-07-24.at.19.58.00.mov
VoiceOver/Safari	Screen.Recording.2025-07-24.at.20.00.48.mov	Screen.Recording.2025-07-24.at.20.01.45.mov

Impact to users

🟢 There are no updates needed by consumers.

QA

Test stories:

Added documentation:

added unit tests succeed
test EuiLiveAnnouncer in different testing scenarios (as mentioned above) and verify that:
- announcements happen on component mount
- announcements happen on content update
- messages are cleared if clearAfterMs is set which means there is no duplicate content in the DOM after the content being cleared
compare the behavior of EuiLiveAnnouncer with EuiScreenReaderLive
- verify that the overall behavior of announcements on content change is the same
- verify that announcements are more consistent
verify that EuiCallOut with announceOnMount is being read on mount
verify that EuiCallOut that the screen reader only text added with announceOnMount is being cleared to prevent duplicate DOM content

General checklist

Browser QA
- ~~Checked in both light and dark modes~~
- Checked in both MacOS and Windows high contrast modes
  - (emulate forced colors if you do not have access to a Windows machine.)
- Checked in mobile
- Checked in Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox
- Checked for accessibility including keyboard-only and screenreader modes
Docs site QA
- Added documentation
- Props have proper autodocs (using @default if default values are missing) and playground toggles
- ~~Checked Code Sandbox works for any docs examples~~
Code quality checklist
- Added or updated jest and cypress tests
- Updated visual regression tests
Release checklist
- A changelog entry exists and is marked appropriately.
- ~~If applicable, added the breaking change issue label (and filled out the breaking change checklist)~~
Designer checklist
- If applicable, file an issue to update EUI's Figma library with any corresponding UI changes. (This is an internal repo, if you are external to Elastic, ask a maintainer to submit this request)
Todo
- add note about Beta component in Deprecations/Beta document [Meta] Deprecation and Beta schedule #1469
  - added Beta tracking issue [BETA] EuiLiveAnnouncer #8933

packages/eui/src/components/call_out/call_out.tsx

tkajtoch · 2025-07-30T21:34:45Z

packages/website/docs/components/display/callout.mdx

+import { EuiCallOut, EuiButton, EuiSpacer } from '@elastic/eui';
+
+export default () => {
+  const [isShown, setIsShown] = useState(false);


Great thinking on making this false by default :D

tkajtoch

Code changes look great! I followed the QA instructions and tested with VoiceOver + Chrome on macOS and NVDA + Chrome on Windows. EuiLiveAnnouncer feels so much better! 🎉

elasticmachine · 2025-07-31T07:26:47Z

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💚 Build #900 succeeded e04e5a2
💚 Build #899 succeeded 41eee00

cc @mgadewoll

elasticmachine · 2025-07-31T07:37:50Z

💚 Build Succeeded

Buildkite Build
Commit: 8d97061

History

💚 Build #4471 succeeded e04e5a2
💚 Build #4470 succeeded 41eee00

cc @mgadewoll

- `@elastic/eui`: `v106.2.0` ⏩ `v106.3.0` - `@elastic/eui-theme-borealis`: `v3.3.0` ⏩ `v3.3.1` - `@elastic/eslint-plugin-eui`: `v2.2.1` ⏩ `v2.3.0` [Questions? Please see our Kibana upgrade FAQ.](https://github.com/elastic/eui/blob/main/wiki/eui-team-processes/upgrading-kibana.md#faq-for-kibana-teams) ## Package updates ### `@elastic/eui` #### [`v106.3.0`](https://github.com/elastic/eui/releases/v106.3.0) - Added thumbUp and thumbDown icons ([#8937](elastic/eui#8937)) - Removed obsolete IE-specific CSS properties ([#8940](elastic/eui#8940)) - Updated `EuiComboBox` to allow multiline options by disabling virtualization (`rowHeight="auto"`) ([#8934](elastic/eui#8934)) **Bug fixes** - Fixed interactive content in header cells on `EuiDataGrid` not being correctly removed from the tab order ([#8938](elastic/eui#8938)) - Fixed an issue where the validity state of `EuiFieldNumber` did not update when the `isInvalid` prop value changed ([#8952](elastic/eui#8952)) - Reverted a font-size change for `xs` buttons back to `12px` ([#8930](elastic/eui#8930)) - Fixed unexpected results for the SCSS function `lineHeightFromBaseline` ([#8922](elastic/eui#8922)) - Fixed `euiDataGridRow--selected` not applying on `EuiDataGrid` whith `stripes={true}` ([#8925](elastic/eui#8925)) - Fixed `euiDataGridRow--marked` and `euiDataGridRow--selected` applying hover styling on `EuiDataGrid` when `stripes={true}` ([#8925](elastic/eui#8925)) **Accessibility** - Added a screen reader help text for entered interactive cells of `EuiDataGrid` to provide information about exiting cells ([#8938](elastic/eui#8938)) - Added a new beta `EuiLiveAnnouncer` component which supports `aria-live` announcements on mount ([#8916](elastic/eui#8916)) - Added `announceOnMount` prop on `EuiCallOut` to support announcing its content on mount ([#8916](elastic/eui#8916)) ### `@elastic/eui-theme-borealis` #### [`v3.3.1`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@elastic/eui-theme-borealis/v/3.3.1) **Bug fixes** - Updated shared theme SCSS imports to ensure expected results for the SCSS function `lineHeightFromBaseline` ([#8922](elastic/eui#8922)) ### `@elastic/eslint-plugin-eui` #### [`v2.3.0`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@elastic/eslint-plugin-eui/v/2.3.0) - Added `EuiFlyoutResizable` to `require-aria-label-for-modals` check ([#8946](elastic/eui#8946)) - Added new `no-unnamed-radio-group` rule. ([#8929](elastic/eui#8929)) - Fixed attributes comparison issue in the `consistent-is-invalid-props` rule. ([#8920](elastic/eui#8920))

- `@elastic/eui`: `v106.2.0` ⏩ `v106.3.0` - `@elastic/eui-theme-borealis`: `v3.3.0` ⏩ `v3.3.1` - `@elastic/eslint-plugin-eui`: `v2.2.1` ⏩ `v2.3.0` [Questions? Please see our Kibana upgrade FAQ.](https://github.com/elastic/eui/blob/main/wiki/eui-team-processes/upgrading-kibana.md#faq-for-kibana-teams) ## Package updates ### `@elastic/eui` #### [`v106.3.0`](https://github.com/elastic/eui/releases/v106.3.0) - Added thumbUp and thumbDown icons ([elastic#8937](elastic/eui#8937)) - Removed obsolete IE-specific CSS properties ([elastic#8940](elastic/eui#8940)) - Updated `EuiComboBox` to allow multiline options by disabling virtualization (`rowHeight="auto"`) ([elastic#8934](elastic/eui#8934)) **Bug fixes** - Fixed interactive content in header cells on `EuiDataGrid` not being correctly removed from the tab order ([elastic#8938](elastic/eui#8938)) - Fixed an issue where the validity state of `EuiFieldNumber` did not update when the `isInvalid` prop value changed ([elastic#8952](elastic/eui#8952)) - Reverted a font-size change for `xs` buttons back to `12px` ([elastic#8930](elastic/eui#8930)) - Fixed unexpected results for the SCSS function `lineHeightFromBaseline` ([elastic#8922](elastic/eui#8922)) - Fixed `euiDataGridRow--selected` not applying on `EuiDataGrid` whith `stripes={true}` ([elastic#8925](elastic/eui#8925)) - Fixed `euiDataGridRow--marked` and `euiDataGridRow--selected` applying hover styling on `EuiDataGrid` when `stripes={true}` ([elastic#8925](elastic/eui#8925)) **Accessibility** - Added a screen reader help text for entered interactive cells of `EuiDataGrid` to provide information about exiting cells ([elastic#8938](elastic/eui#8938)) - Added a new beta `EuiLiveAnnouncer` component which supports `aria-live` announcements on mount ([elastic#8916](elastic/eui#8916)) - Added `announceOnMount` prop on `EuiCallOut` to support announcing its content on mount ([elastic#8916](elastic/eui#8916)) ### `@elastic/eui-theme-borealis` #### [`v3.3.1`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@elastic/eui-theme-borealis/v/3.3.1) **Bug fixes** - Updated shared theme SCSS imports to ensure expected results for the SCSS function `lineHeightFromBaseline` ([elastic#8922](elastic/eui#8922)) ### `@elastic/eslint-plugin-eui` #### [`v2.3.0`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@elastic/eslint-plugin-eui/v/2.3.0) - Added `EuiFlyoutResizable` to `require-aria-label-for-modals` check ([elastic#8946](elastic/eui#8946)) - Added new `no-unnamed-radio-group` rule. ([elastic#8929](elastic/eui#8929)) - Fixed attributes comparison issue in the `consistent-is-invalid-props` rule. ([elastic#8920](elastic/eui#8920))

mgadewoll self-assigned this Jul 28, 2025

mgadewoll added the accessibility label Jul 28, 2025

feat: add EuiLiveAnnouncer

b4f4692

mgadewoll force-pushed the screenreader/8821-announce-on-mount branch 2 times, most recently from 8ce548d to 41eee00 Compare July 28, 2025 09:30

mgadewoll added 5 commits July 28, 2025 13:16

docs(liveAnnouncer): add docs

1fc41ed

feat(callout): add optional live announcement

530b8b6

style(screenreaderlive): add prop doc defaults

ce66f88

docs(storybook): improve EuiScreenReaderLive stories

7a35fbb

chore: add changelog

e04e5a2

mgadewoll force-pushed the screenreader/8821-announce-on-mount branch from 41eee00 to e04e5a2 Compare July 28, 2025 11:17

mgadewoll marked this pull request as ready for review July 28, 2025 11:35

mgadewoll requested a review from a team as a code owner July 28, 2025 11:35

tkajtoch self-requested a review July 28, 2025 15:14

wildemat mentioned this pull request Jul 29, 2025

[Search:Indices:Index mapping page] Edit field dialog error (callout) is not announced for screen reader users elastic/kibana#197206

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tkajtoch reviewed Jul 30, 2025

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tkajtoch reviewed Jul 30, 2025

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tkajtoch approved these changes Jul 30, 2025

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refactor: remove clearAfterMs prop

8d97061

This was referenced Jul 31, 2025

[Meta] Deprecation and Beta schedule #1469

Open

[BETA] EuiLiveAnnouncer #8933

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mgadewoll merged commit 87ec4f0 into elastic:main Jul 31, 2025
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weronikaolejniczak mentioned this pull request Aug 11, 2025

Upgrade EUI to v106.3.0 elastic/kibana#231288

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[EuiLiveAnnouncer][A11y] Support live announcements on mount #8916

[EuiLiveAnnouncer][A11y] Support live announcements on mount #8916

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mgadewoll commented Jul 28, 2025 •

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[EuiLiveAnnouncer][A11y] Support live announcements on mount #8916

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Summary

Information about the testing scope

The Problem(s)

The proposed solution(s)

How it's done

Component comparison

Known limitations and issues

Generic

EuiLiveAnnouncer

EuiScreenReaderLive

Why are we making this change?

Screenshots

Impact to users

QA

General checklist

Todo

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tkajtoch Jul 30, 2025

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elasticmachine commented Jul 31, 2025

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mgadewoll commented Jul 28, 2025 •

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`EuiLiveAnnouncer`

`EuiScreenReaderLive`