In plain language
Status messages ('Saved', 'Loading', '3 results') must be announced by screen readers without stealing focus.
Who it affects
Screen-reader users who need spoken confirmation of saves, errors, and results.
How to check
Trigger saves, searches, errors, loaders with a screen reader running: each visible status must be spoken automatically. Worked example — A ticket marketplace's seat-selection map: watch a character counter or quota warning update while typing, with a screen reader running: if there's no announcement as it changes, it fails.
Common misconception
Teams assume a visible “Saved” message is enough. Without a live region or role="status" wired to it, that message can appear and disappear without ever being announced to a screen-reader user. Real example: on a news outlet's article page, status updates ('Saved', 'Loading', '5 results') appear on screen but aren't wired as status messages — screen readers stay silent.