JavaScript SpeechSynthesis API
As the web continues to be the medium for all users, standards bodies need to continue to provide new APIs to enrich user experience and accessibility. One underused API for unsighted users is speechSynthesis, an API to programmatically direct the browser to audibly speak any arbitrary string.
The Code
You can direct the browser to utter speech with window.speechSynthesis and SpeechSynthesisUtterance:
window.speechSynthesis.speak(
new SpeechSynthesisUtterance('Hey Jude!')
)
speechSynthesis.speak will robotically tell the user anything you provide as a SpeechSynthesisUtterance string. Support for this API is available in all modern browsers.
I wouldn't consider speechSynthesis as a replacement for native accessibility tools, but this API could be used to improve what native tools provide!
![LightFace: Facebook Lightbox for MooTools]()
One of the web components I've always loved has been Facebook's modal dialog. This "lightbox" isn't like others: no dark overlay, no obnoxious animating to size, and it doesn't try to do "too much." With Facebook's dialog in mind, I've created LightFace: a Facebook lightbox...
![I’m an Impostor]()
This is the hardest thing I've ever had to write, much less admit to myself. I've written resignation letters from jobs I've loved, I've ended relationships, I've failed at a host of tasks, and let myself down in my life. All of those feelings were very...
![Introducing MooTools ScrollSide]()
This post is a proof of concept post -- the functionality is yet to be perfected.
Picture this: you've found yourself on a website that uses horizontal scrolling instead of vertical scrolling. It's an artistic site so you accept that the site scrolls left to right.
![Chris Coyier: Some Amazing Work on CodePen III]()
I'm back! David asked me to rope up some of my favorite stuff on CodePen again, which I both love doing, and wince at the thought of having to pick so few favorites. I like a ton of stuff on...
