Axe Core Guide

An image map consists of a single image with numerous clickable sections. Because screen readers cannot translate graphics into text, an image map, like all images, must contain alternative text for each of the distinct clickable parts, as well as for the larger image itself.

In the absence of alternative text, screen readers often announce the image’s filename. Filenames do not accurately describe images and are therefore inconvenient for screen reader users.

What this Accessibility Rule Checks

Ensures that image map area elements have alternative text.

Values assigned to ARIA role values must not be deprecated.

Using deprecated WAI-ARIA roles is bad for accessibility. They will not be recognized or correctly processed by screen readers and other assistive technologies. Using these means not everyone will be able to access essential information.

Ensure all values assigned to role="" correspond to WAI-ARIA roles that are not deprecated, or abstract. The following list indicates for each deprecated role a potential alternative that is better supported by assistive technologies:

• directory: Consider using section, list, or tree instead. Which is most appropriate depends on how directory was used.

What this Accessibility Rule Checks

Check all elements containing WAI-ARIA role attribute to ensure that the role is not deprecated in the latest version of the WAI-ARIA specification.

When used in a document, the frame or iframe element’s title attribute must not be empty in order to provide context for users of screen reader software.

Users of screen readers depend on the title of a frame to describe its contents. If the HTML for a frame or iframe element lacks a title attribute, navigating within the element can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience for users of this technology.

Users of screen readers can see a list of the frames on a page and their respective titles. Providing each frame with a distinct, descriptive label facilitates easy navigation. Without titles, it’s easy to get lost trying to jump from one frame to the next. Screen readers will instead provide information like “frame,” “JavaScript,” the filename, or the URL if no title is provided. This data is unlikely to be useful in most situations.

What this Accessibility Rule Checks

Make sure the title attribute of every iframe and frame element is both distinct and not empty.

Makes certain that <input type="image"> elements have alternative text.

Screen reader users will not understand the function of a <input type="image"> button unless equivalent wording is provided. Even if the image merely contains text, alternative text is required because a screen reader cannot interpret images of words into output.

Simply typing text adjacent to the form element will not result in a true label. Screen readers, for example, require labels in code that can be determined automatically.

Some screen readers are configured to estimate the label based on the surrounding text, however this method is not foolproof and might cause confusion if the screen reader guesses incorrectly.

What this Accessibility Rule Checks

Ensures that each <input type="image"> has a name that can be found.

Each form element must have a label element attached with it programmatically.

Forms must have effective form labels in order to be accessible. Form elements like as checkboxes, radio buttons, input fields, etc. are frequently self-explanatory to sighted users, even if they are not programmatically labeled. Users with screen readers require descriptive form labels to identify form fields. Adding labels to all form elements removes uncertainty and makes the product more accessible.

When form elements lack labels, screen reader users are unaware of the expected data input. Screen readers cannot determine information about input items programmatically in the absence of an established label association (or redundant text functioning as a label).

Since clicking the label activates the control, people with weak motor control do not benefit from a bigger clickable area for the control.

What this Accessibility Rule Checks

Ensures that each form element has a label associated with it programmatically.

When used as links, link text and alternative text for images must be recognizable by screen readers, have no duplicate labels, and be focusable.

• Accessibility is hindered by inaccessible link components, as they are a crucial component of a website.
• Users who traverse a webpage using only the keyboard (and no mouse) can only click on links that can gain programmed emphasis. Inaccessible to these users is any link that cannot gain programmatic focus.
• Similar to sighted people, screen reader users must know where a link leads. This information is provided via inner link text, albeit it will not be utilized if a screen reader cannot access it.
• Only the links and form components that can get programmatic focus can be activated by keyboard users, including those with visual impairments or those who cannot use a mouse. Keyboard users cannot access events activated only by other sorts of focus, such as onmouseover events that depend on the mouse hover focus. By default, only links and form elements receive keyboard emphasis. Add tabindex="0" to items that are not links or form components to make them focusable.

What this Accessibility Rule Checks

Ensures that each link’s name is accessible.

Ensures that SVG elements with the roles img, graphics-document or graphics-symbol have a text alternative that is accessible.

In order to make information provided by non-text material (including SVG graphics) accessible, Success Criterion 1.1.1 requires the usage of a text alternative. Because they can be portrayed through any sensory modality (for example, visual, auditory, or tactile) to suit the user’s needs, text alternatives are a fundamental method of making information accessible. By including text alternatives, a wider range of user agents can present the content in different ways.

For instance, a person who is blind can request that the text equivalent of an image be read out using synthetic speech. An audio file’s text alternative can be presented for people who cannot hear it, allowing them to read it. Text alternatives will eventually make it simpler to translate information into sign language or a more basic version of the same language.

What this Accessibility Rule Checks

The algorithm for this rule returns:

• True if the element has a <title>code child

<svg id="target"><title>Time II: Party</title></svg>

• True if the <title> child has text nested in another element.

<svg id="target"><title><g>Time II: Party</g></title></svg>

• False if the element has no <title> child.

<svg id="target"></svg>

• False if the <title> child is empty.

<svg id="target"><title></title></svg>

• False if the <title> is a grandchild.

<svg id="target"><circle><title>Time II: Party</title></circle></svg>

• False if the <title> child has only whitespace.

<svg id="target"><title> \t\r\n </title></svg>

• False if there are multiple titles and the first is empty.

<svg id="target"><title></title><title>Time II: Party</title></svg>

Not all ARIA role-attribute combinations are valid. This rule ensures that each role has the required qualities.

Using ARIA attributes in roles where they are not permitted can impair web page accessibility. Using an improper role-attribute combination will have no effect on application accessibility at best and may trigger behavior that blocks accessibility for entire areas of an application at worst.

When ARIA attributes are used on HTML elements that do not conform to WAI-ARIA 1.1, they interfere with the semantics of the elements, causing assistive technology products to display nonsensical user interface (UI) information that does not represent the document’s true UI.

What this Accessibility Rule Checks

Checks that each element with an ARIA role is using only the ARIA attributes that are permitted for that role.

aria-braille attributes must have a non-braille equivalent.

WAI-ARIA requires that the aria-braillelabel attribute is only ever used on elements with an accessible name, such as from aria-label. Similarly, aria-brailleroledescription is required to only ever be used on elements with aria-roledescription.

ARIA braille attributes were introduced to allow adjusting how labels and role descriptions are rendered on a braille display. They cannot be the only attribute providing a label, or a role description. When used without a corresponding label or role description ARIA says to ignore these attributes, although this may not happen consistently in screen readers and other assistive technologies.

How to Fix this Issue

• The aria-braillelabel or aria-brailleroledescription attribute may have been placed on the wrong element, such as a parent or child of the correct element. The attribute should be put on a different element.
• The element with aria-braillelabel attribute needs an aria-label attribute or other attribute that gives it an accessible name.
• The element with aria-brailleroledescription attribute needs a aria-roledescription attribute.
• The aria-braillelabel or aria-brailleroledescription attribute serves no function and should be removed.

What this Accessibility Rule Checks

Checks that aria-braillelabel is only used on elements with a non-empty label, and that aria-brailleroledescription is only used on elements with a non-empty aria-roledescription.

ARIA attributes must be used as specified for the element’s role.

Using ARIA attributes on elements where they are not expected can result in unpredictable behavior for assistive technologies. This can lead to a poor user experience for people with disabilities who rely on these technologies. It is important to follow the ARIA specification to ensure that assistive technologies can properly interpret and communicate the intended meaning of the content.

Some ARIA attributes are only allowed on an element under certain conditions. Different attributes have different limitations to them:

aria-checked: This should not be used on an HTML input element with type=”checkbox”. Such elements have a checked state determined by the browser. Browsers should ignore aria-checked in this scenario. Because browsers do this inconsistently, a difference between the native checkbox state and the aria-checked value will result in differences between screen readers and other assistive technologies.

The aria-posinset, aria-setsize, aria-expanded, and aria-level attributes are conditional when used on a row. This can be either tr element, or an element with role="row". These attributes can only be used when the row is part of treegrid. When used inside a table or grid, these attributes have no function, and could result in unpredictable behavior from screen readers and other assistive technologies.

What this Accessibility Rule Checks

Check that ARIA attributes are not used in a way that their role describes authors should not, or must not do. I.e the use of this ARIA attribute is conditional.