Issue Summary

Screen readers do not announce the "Description" field placeholder text.

Note

The impact of this issue on users is minimal; therefore, it has been assigned a low priority.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open the Jira/JSM Cloud homepage.
2. Navigate to the "Create" button in the header section and activate it.
3. Navigate to the "Description" field and inspect the code.
4. Observe that the <span> element containing the placeholder text has aria-hidden="true".
5. Note that the placeholder text is not programmatically associated with the field.

Screenshot

Actual Results

When screen reader users navigate to the "Description" field, the label is announced correctly. However, the placeholder text that provides additional guidance is not announced.

This occurs because the <span> element containing the placeholder text has aria-hidden="true" applied, which hides it from assistive technologies. Additionally, the placeholder text is not programmatically associated with the field using aria-describedby and a corresponding id.

As a result, the placeholder text is not exposed to screen readers.

Expected Results

Screen readers should announce all relevant instructions, including placeholder text.

Apply the following changes:

• Remove aria-hidden="true" from the placeholder <span> element.
• Add an id to the <span> element containing the placeholder text.
• Add the aria-describedby attribute to the <div> element representing the “Description” field.
• Reference the <span> element’s id value within the aria-describedby attribute to associate the placeholder text programmatically.

Code Snippet:

This code example is intended only as a general illustration of how to address the violation and should not be considered a complete or production-ready solution. If you have any questions, please attach this ticket to a #help-accessibility request.

<div
role="textbox" aria-label="Description area, start typing to enter text."
aria-describedby="description-placeholder"
  contenteditable="true">
<p>
<span id="description-placeholder">
Type /ai to Ask Rovo or @ to mention and notify someone.
</span>
</p>
</div> 

Workaround

Currently there is no known workaround for this behavior. A workaround will be added here when available.

Environment

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021)
macOS Tahoe 26.3
Operations - Windows11
Chrome - Version 146.0.7680.154 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Safari- Version 26.3
JAWS- Version 2023
NVDA- Version 2025.3.2
VoiceOver - Version Latest