It doesn’t look like a list to me

Then the - weren't needed.

Maybe instead of people needing to apply exacting rules to accommodate an accessibility tech

1. Nah, writing a space the conventional way suffices: - SPACE list item. Even aesthetically, the plain text looks atrocious without a space there & worse when rendered.
2. The technology is fine, there was even a button in the toolbar. It's not that hard to figure out to anyone trying: there's a preview button & they can edit.

All anyone has to do is (1) follow regular convention or (2) use the technology. Getting this wrong despite the technology & standard convention is less a technology problem & more a user problem.

Edit: I understand what you both meant now: quotation dashes. They're less common in English, but still correct! Edited my comment above to reflect this. Thanks.