diff --git a/common/changes/office-ui-fabric-react/rebeba-suggestions-alert_2018-05-03-22-40.json b/common/changes/office-ui-fabric-react/rebeba-suggestions-alert_2018-05-03-22-40.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..fc7f93cbad38b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/changes/office-ui-fabric-react/rebeba-suggestions-alert_2018-05-03-22-40.json
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{
+  "changes": [
+    {
+      "packageName": "office-ui-fabric-react",
+      "comment": "Puts additional alert on selected suggestions behind a prop",
+      "type": "minor"
+    }
+  ],
+  "packageName": "office-ui-fabric-react",
+  "email": "rebeba@microsoft.com"
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/BasePicker.tsx b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/BasePicker.tsx
index 120de802b6286..4fbf43e2458d6 100644
--- a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/BasePicker.tsx
+++ b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/BasePicker.tsx
@@ -175,10 +175,15 @@ export class BasePicker<T, P extends IBasePickerProps<T>> extends BaseComponent<
     } = this.props;
 
     const currentIndex = this.suggestionStore.currentIndex;
-    const selectedSuggestion = currentIndex > -1 ? this.suggestionStore.getSuggestionAtIndex(this.suggestionStore.currentIndex) : undefined;
-    const selectedSuggestionAlert = selectedSuggestion ? selectedSuggestion.ariaLabel : undefined;
     const activeDescendant = currentIndex > -1 ? 'sug-' + currentIndex : undefined;
 
+    let selectedSuggestionAlert = undefined;
+    if (this.props.enableSelectedSuggestionAlert) {
+      const selectedSuggestion = currentIndex > -1 ? this.suggestionStore.getSuggestionAtIndex(this.suggestionStore.currentIndex) : undefined;
+      const selectedSuggestionAlertText = selectedSuggestion ? selectedSuggestion.ariaLabel : undefined;
+      selectedSuggestionAlert = (<div className={ styles.screenReaderOnly } role='alert' id='selected-suggestion-alert' aria-live='assertive'>{ selectedSuggestionAlertText } </div>);
+    }
+
     return (
       <div
         ref={ this.root }
@@ -192,7 +197,7 @@ export class BasePicker<T, P extends IBasePickerProps<T>> extends BaseComponent<
           direction={ FocusZoneDirection.bidirectional }
           isInnerZoneKeystroke={ this._isFocusZoneInnerKeystroke }
         >
-          <div className={ styles.screenReaderOnly } role='alert' id='selected-suggestion-alert' aria-live='assertive'>{ selectedSuggestionAlert } </div>
+          { selectedSuggestionAlert }
           <SelectionZone selection={ this.selection } selectionMode={ SelectionMode.multiple }>
             <div className={ css('ms-BasePicker-text', styles.pickerText, this.state.isFocused && styles.inputFocused) } role={ 'list' }>
               { this.renderItems() }
diff --git a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/BasePicker.types.ts b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/BasePicker.types.ts
index bd30168ae581c..82439afa06add 100644
--- a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/BasePicker.types.ts
+++ b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/BasePicker.types.ts
@@ -135,6 +135,13 @@ export interface IBasePickerProps<T> extends React.Props<any> {
    * A callback to override the default behavior of adding the selected suggestion on dismiss.
    */
   onDismiss?: (ev?: any, selectedItem?: T) => void;
+  /**
+   * Adds an additional alert for the currently selected suggestion. This prop should be set to true for IE11 and below, as it
+   * enables proper screen reader behavior for each suggestion (since aria-activedescendant does not work with IE11).
+   * It should not be set for modern browsers (Edge, Chrome).
+   * @default false
+   */
+  enableSelectedSuggestionAlert?: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface IBasePickerSuggestionsProps {
diff --git a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/Suggestions/Suggestions.tsx b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/Suggestions/Suggestions.tsx
index e3b67d766656c..63f43a9fb4f34 100644
--- a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/Suggestions/Suggestions.tsx
+++ b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/Suggestions/Suggestions.tsx
@@ -193,13 +193,16 @@ export class Suggestions<T> extends BaseComponent<ISuggestionsProps<T>, ISuggest
               { footerTitle(this.props) }
             </div>) : (null)
         }
-        { (!isLoading && !isSearching && suggestions && suggestions.length > 0 && suggestionsAvailableAlertText) ?
+        {
           (<span
             role='alert'
+            aria-live='polite'
             className={ css('ms-Suggestions-suggestionsAvailable', styles.suggestionsAvailable) }
           >
-            { suggestionsAvailableAlertText }
-          </span>) : (null)
+            { (!isLoading && !isSearching && suggestions && suggestions.length > 0 && suggestionsAvailableAlertText) ?
+              suggestionsAvailableAlertText : null
+            }
+          </span>)
         }
       </div>
     );
diff --git a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/Suggestions/__snapshots__/Suggestions.test.tsx.snap b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/Suggestions/__snapshots__/Suggestions.test.tsx.snap
index 8693ae6338103..6747509a28ecd 100644
--- a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/Suggestions/__snapshots__/Suggestions.test.tsx.snap
+++ b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/Suggestions/__snapshots__/Suggestions.test.tsx.snap
@@ -1601,6 +1601,11 @@ exports[`Suggestions renders a list properly 1`] = `
       </div>
     </div>
   </div>
+  <span
+    aria-live="polite"
+    className="ms-Suggestions-suggestionsAvailable"
+    role="alert"
+  />
 </div>
 `;
 
@@ -3205,5 +3210,10 @@ exports[`Suggestions scrolls to selected index properly 1`] = `
       </div>
     </div>
   </div>
+  <span
+    aria-live="polite"
+    className="ms-Suggestions-suggestionsAvailable"
+    role="alert"
+  />
 </div>
 `;
diff --git a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/__snapshots__/BasePicker.test.tsx.snap b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/__snapshots__/BasePicker.test.tsx.snap
index 999cb7667e9d9..8d67968f45ebc 100644
--- a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/__snapshots__/BasePicker.test.tsx.snap
+++ b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/pickers/__snapshots__/BasePicker.test.tsx.snap
@@ -15,14 +15,6 @@ exports[`Pickers BasePicker renders BasePicker correctly 1`] = `
     onMouseDownCapture={[Function]}
     role="presentation"
   >
-    <div
-      aria-live="assertive"
-      className={undefined}
-      id="selected-suggestion-alert"
-      role="alert"
-    >
-       
-    </div>
     <div
       className="ms-SelectionZone"
       onClick={[Function]}
@@ -82,14 +74,6 @@ exports[`Pickers TagPicker renders TagPicker correctly 1`] = `
     onMouseDownCapture={[Function]}
     role="presentation"
   >
-    <div
-      aria-live="assertive"
-      className={undefined}
-      id="selected-suggestion-alert"
-      role="alert"
-    >
-       
-    </div>
     <div
       className="ms-SelectionZone"
       onClick={[Function]}