diff --git a/src/actions.js b/src/actions.js
index 9d83efca7..3ec2c2a2e 100644
--- a/src/actions.js
+++ b/src/actions.js
@@ -185,10 +185,18 @@ export function activateByNid(nid, options) {
     // we just don't want to activate them.)
     if (!newNode) { return; }
 
+    // If the element has been ellided by CM, it won't be in the DOM. This
+    // can lead to situations where CM ellides the *currently-focused* elt,
+    // which confuses the screenreader. In these situations, we focus on
+    // a dummy element that just says "stand by" (see ToggleEditor.js).
+    // When the new node is available, focus will shift automatically.
+    if(!document.contains(newNode.element)) {
+      document.getElementById('SR_fix_for_slow_dom').focus();
+    }
+
     // If there's a previously-focused node, see if the ids match
     // If so, we need to manually initiate a new focus event
     if (newNode.nid === currentNode?.nid) {
-      //console.log('XXX actions.js:191, they are eq');
       setTimeout(() => { if(newNode.element) newNode.element.focus(); }, 10);
     }
 
@@ -210,17 +218,14 @@ export function activateByNid(nid, options) {
     // when double click because we can set focusId on the to-be-focused node
 
     setTimeout(() => {
-      //console.log('XXX actions:213 trying SET_FOCUS with fid=', focusId, 'fNId=', focusNId, 'xid=', node.id, 'xnid=', node.nid);
       dispatch({type: 'SET_FOCUS', focusId: newNode.id});
       
-      //console.log('XXX actions:216');
       if (options.record) {
         SHARED.search.setCursor(newNode.from);
       }
-      //console.log('XXX actions:220');
       if (newNode.element) {
         const scroller = SHARED.cm.getScrollerElement();
-        const wrapper = SHARED.cm.getWrapperElement();
+        const wrapper  = SHARED.cm.getWrapperElement();
 
         if (options.allowMove) {
           SHARED.cm.scrollIntoView(newNode.from);
@@ -237,7 +242,6 @@ export function activateByNid(nid, options) {
         scroller.setAttribute('aria-activedescendent', newNode.element.id);
         newNode.element.focus();
       }
-      //console.log('XXX actions:240');
     }, 25);
   };
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/BlockEditor.js b/src/ui/BlockEditor.js
index 6f1a506fb..83e419d2f 100644
--- a/src/ui/BlockEditor.js
+++ b/src/ui/BlockEditor.js
@@ -279,6 +279,7 @@ class BlockEditor extends Component {
     const wrapper = ed.getWrapperElement();
     wrapper.setAttribute('role', 'tree');
     wrapper.setAttribute('aria-multiselectable', 'true');
+    wrapper.setAttribute('tabIndex', -1);
 
     // pass the block-mode CM editor, API, and current AST
     onMount(ed, this.buildAPI(ed), ast);
diff --git a/src/ui/Editor.less b/src/ui/Editor.less
index a7a965003..977eb47b9 100644
--- a/src/ui/Editor.less
+++ b/src/ui/Editor.less
@@ -40,18 +40,30 @@
   
   .blocks-toggle-btn, .bug-btn {
     position: absolute;
+    display: inline-flex;
+    align-items: center;
     top: 16px;
     right: 16px;
     z-index: 100;
-    width: 34px;
     height: 34px;
+    width:  34px;
     border-radius: 3px;
     font-size: 18pt; 
     padding: 0px;
+    transition: width 0.25s linear;
     box-shadow: 2px 2px 2px black, 4px 4px 4px white;
-    &:focus {
-      outline: 0;
-    }
+    padding: 0px 4px;
+    &:focus { width: 175px; outline: 0; }
+    &:hover { width: 175px; }
+    .btn-title { font-size: 14px; }
+  }
+  /* hide button titles by default */
+  .bug-btn .btn-title, .blocks-toggle-btn .btn-title { 
+    position: absolute; clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0); 
+  }
+  .bug-btn:hover .btn-title,
+  .blocks-toggle-btn:hover .btn-title {
+    display: inline-block; clip: auto; position: relative;
   }
   .bug-btn { right: 64px; }
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/EditorButtons.js b/src/ui/EditorButtons.js
index 28cb90ad1..0599efc79 100644
--- a/src/ui/EditorButtons.js
+++ b/src/ui/EditorButtons.js
@@ -19,11 +19,10 @@ export class ToggleButton extends Component {
     const buttonIcon = this.props.blockMode? "✏️" : "🧱";
     return (
       <button className="blocks-toggle-btn btn btn-default btn-sm"
-              aria-label={buttonAria}
-              title={buttonAria}
               onClick={this.handleToggle}
               tabIndex="0">
-        <span>{buttonIcon}</span>
+        <span aria-hidden="true">{buttonIcon}</span>
+        <span className="btn-title">{buttonAria}</span>
       </button>
     );
   }
@@ -40,11 +39,10 @@ export class BugButton extends Component {
   render() {
     return (
       <button className="bug-btn btn btn-default btn-sm"
-              aria-label="Report a bug"
-              title="Report a bug"
               onClick={this.handleBugReport}
               tabIndex="0">
-        <span>&#128030;</span>
+        <span aria-hidden="true">&#128030;</span>
+        <span className="btn-title">Report a Bug</span>
       </button>
     );
   }
diff --git a/src/ui/ToggleEditor.js b/src/ui/ToggleEditor.js
index 8653bf454..3664bc13b 100644
--- a/src/ui/ToggleEditor.js
+++ b/src/ui/ToggleEditor.js
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@ export default @CMBContext class ToggleEditor extends Component {
           code = oldAst.toString() + (WS? WS[0] : "");  // pretty-print and restore whitespace
           this.ast = SHARED.parse(code);                // parse the pretty-printed (PP) code
         } catch (e) {
+          console.error('COULD NOT PARSE PRETTY-PRINTED CODE:\n', code);
           throw `An error occured in the language module 
           (the pretty-printer probably produced invalid code)`;
         }
@@ -244,6 +245,10 @@ export default @CMBContext class ToggleEditor extends Component {
         </div>
       </div>
 
+      <div role="application" aria-roledescription="Stand by">
+        <a id="SR_fix_for_slow_dom" href="#" aria-roledescription=":" aria-label=""></a>
+      </div>
+
       <Dialog 
         appElement={this.props.appElement}
         isOpen={!!this.state.dialog}