Operable
31 yazı
WCAG 2.1.1: Keyboard
WCAG 2.1.1 requires that all functionality available through a mouse or pointer is equally operable via a keyboard alone, with no specific timing required for keystrokes. This criterion is foundational for users who cannot use a mouse, ensuring they can navigate, interact with, and complete tasks on any website or application.
WCAG 2.1.2: No Keyboard Trap
WCAG 2.1.2 requires that keyboard users are never trapped inside a component — if focus can be moved into a UI element using a keyboard, it must also be possible to move focus away using only the keyboard. This criterion is essential for users who rely exclusively on keyboard navigation, including people with motor disabilities and screen reader users.
WCAG 2.1.4: Character Key Shortcuts
WCAG 2.1.4 requires that any keyboard shortcut implemented using only a single character key (letter, number, punctuation, or symbol) can be turned off, remapped, or activated only on focus — preventing accidental triggers that harm users who rely on speech input or have motor disabilities.
WCAG 2.2.1: Timing Adjustable
WCAG 2.2.1 requires that any time limit set by content can be turned off, adjusted, or extended by the user — ensuring people who need more time to interact with web content are not locked out. This Level A criterion is essential for users with motor, cognitive, and visual disabilities.
WCAG 2.2.2: Pause, Stop, Hide
WCAG 2.2.2 requires that moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating content can be paused, stopped, or hidden by users. This protects people with cognitive disabilities, vestibular disorders, and attention-related conditions from content they cannot control.
WCAG 2.3.1: Three Flashes or Below Threshold
WCAG 2.3.1 requires that web content does not contain anything that flashes more than three times per second, unless the flash is below general or red flash thresholds. This criterion is critical for preventing seizures and physical reactions in users with photosensitive epilepsy or similar neurological conditions.
WCAG 2.4.1: Bypass Blocks
WCAG 2.4.1 requires that web pages provide a mechanism to skip repeated blocks of content, such as navigation menus, so keyboard and assistive technology users can reach main content without tabbing through every link. This is a Level A requirement, meaning it is the baseline for accessible keyboard navigation.
WCAG 2.4.2: Page Titled
WCAG 2.4.2 requires that every web page has a descriptive, meaningful title that identifies its topic or purpose. This ensures users — especially those relying on screen readers or managing multiple tabs — can quickly orient themselves and navigate efficiently.
WCAG 2.4.3: Focus Order
WCAG 2.4.3 requires that if a web page can be navigated sequentially and the navigation sequences affect meaning or operation, focusable components must receive focus in an order that preserves meaning and operability. This criterion is essential for keyboard and assistive technology users who rely on a logical, predictable focus sequence to understand and interact with content.
WCAG 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context)
WCAG 2.4.4 requires that the purpose of every link can be determined from the link text alone, or from the link text together with its surrounding context. This ensures that screen reader users, keyboard-only users, and people with cognitive disabilities can understand where a link leads without needing to follow it.
WCAG 2.5.1: Pointer Gestures
WCAG 2.5.1 requires that all functionality using multipoint or path-based gestures (such as pinch-to-zoom or swipe) can also be operated with a single pointer without a path-based gesture, unless the gesture is essential. This protects users with motor impairments who cannot reliably perform complex touch gestures.
WCAG 2.5.2: Pointer Cancellation
WCAG 2.5.2 requires that functionality triggered by a single pointer (mouse, touch, or stylus) can be cancelled or reversed, preventing accidental activations. This protects users with motor impairments who may tap or click unintentionally.
WCAG 2.5.4: Motion Actuation
WCAG 2.5.4 requires that any functionality triggered by device or user motion (such as shaking or tilting) must also be operable through conventional user interface components, and users must be able to disable motion actuation to prevent accidental activation.
WCAG 2.4.5: Multiple Ways
WCAG 2.4.5 requires that websites provide more than one way for users to locate any given page within a set of web pages — for example, through a site search, a sitemap, or a navigation menu. This ensures that users with different abilities and preferences can find content using the method that works best for them.
WCAG 2.4.6: Headings and Labels
WCAG 2.4.6 requires that headings and labels, when present, must be descriptive and accurately convey the topic or purpose of the content they introduce or identify. This criterion helps users — especially those using assistive technologies — navigate content efficiently and understand the structure and purpose of page sections and form fields.
WCAG 2.4.7: Focus Visible
WCAG 2.4.7 requires that any keyboard-operable user interface has a visible focus indicator so users can always see which element currently has keyboard focus. This is essential for keyboard-only users, people with motor impairments, and anyone who cannot use a mouse.
WCAG 2.4.11: Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)
WCAG 2.4.11 requires that when a UI component receives keyboard focus, it is not entirely hidden by author-created content such as sticky headers, cookie banners, or chat widgets. This criterion ensures keyboard users can always see where they are on the page, which is essential for navigation and usability.
WCAG 2.5.7: Dragging Movements
WCAG 2.5.7 requires that any functionality using a dragging movement can also be accomplished with a single pointer without dragging, unless dragging is essential. This ensures users with motor impairments who cannot reliably perform drag gestures can still access all functionality.
WCAG 2.5.8: Target Size (Minimum)
WCAG 2.5.8 requires that interactive targets such as buttons and links have a minimum size of 24×24 CSS pixels, or sufficient spacing around smaller targets, so users with motor impairments can activate them reliably. Failing this criterion leads to accidental activations and frustration for anyone who cannot control a pointer with precision.
WCAG 2.1.3: Keyboard (No Exception)
WCAG 2.1.3 requires that every function of a web page or application be operable via a keyboard interface, with no exceptions whatsoever—not even for path-dependent or freehand drawing tasks. This AAA criterion closes the loophole present in WCAG 2.1.1 and ensures full keyboard access for users who cannot use a mouse.
WCAG 2.2.3: No Timing
WCAG 2.2.3 (Level AAA) requires that timing is not an essential part of the event or activity presented by content, except for non-interactive synchronized media and real-time events. This ensures users with disabilities who need more time to read, interact, or respond are never excluded by time-dependent design.
WCAG 2.2.4: Interruptions
WCAG 2.2.4 requires that users can postpone or suppress all interruptions — such as alerts, notifications, and automatic content updates — except those involving an emergency. This criterion is essential for users with attention, cognitive, or neurological disabilities who may be severely disrupted by unexpected interruptions during a task.
WCAG 2.2.5: Re-authenticating
WCAG 2.2.5 requires that when an authenticated session expires, users can re-authenticate and continue their activity without losing any data they had entered. This criterion is critical for users with disabilities who may need more time to complete tasks and must not be penalized by session timeouts that erase their work.
WCAG 2.2.6: Timeouts
WCAG 2.2.6 requires that users are warned about data loss due to inactivity timeouts, and that any such timeout lasts at least 20 hours unless the data is preserved. This protects users with cognitive disabilities, motor impairments, and others who need more time to complete tasks.
WCAG 2.3.2: Three Flashes
WCAG 2.3.2 requires that web pages contain no content that flashes more than three times in any one-second period, with no exception for small or low-contrast flashes. This stricter AAA criterion protects users with photosensitive epilepsy and other seizure disorders from potentially life-threatening neurological reactions.
WCAG 2.3.3: Animation from Interactions
WCAG 2.3.3 requires that motion animation triggered by user interaction can be disabled, unless the animation is essential to the functionality or the information being conveyed. This matters because motion can trigger vestibular disorders, causing dizziness, nausea, and disorientation in a significant portion of the population.
WCAG 2.4.8: Location
WCAG 2.4.8 requires that users can determine where they are within a set of web pages — for example, through breadcrumbs, site maps, or highlighted navigation links. This helps users with cognitive disabilities, screen reader users, and anyone navigating complex sites to orient themselves and move through content with confidence.
WCAG 2.4.10: Section Headings
WCAG 2.4.10 requires that section headings are used to organize content whenever a page contains multiple sections, enabling users to navigate and understand the structure of the page. This criterion supports screen reader users, cognitive accessibility needs, and anyone who relies on document structure to orient themselves within long or complex content.
WCAG 2.4.12: Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced)
WCAG 2.4.12 requires that when a UI component receives keyboard focus, no part of that component is hidden by author-created content — the focused element must be fully visible. This enhanced (AAA) criterion eliminates the partial-visibility allowance of its AA counterpart, ensuring keyboard users always see exactly where focus is.
WCAG 2.4.13: Focus Appearance
WCAG 2.4.13 requires that keyboard focus indicators meet minimum size and contrast requirements so that users can clearly see which element has focus. This criterion ensures that people who rely on keyboards or assistive technologies can navigate interfaces without losing track of their current position.
WCAG 2.5.5: Target Size (Enhanced)
WCAG 2.5.5 requires that interactive targets such as buttons and links be at least 44×44 CSS pixels in size, ensuring people with motor impairments, tremors, or limited dexterity can reliably activate controls without accidentally triggering adjacent elements.