No matter who you are or the purpose it serves, your website must be ADA-accessible. If your website is not ADA accessible, then you can face ADA web accessibility claims and lawsuits.
Going over how to fix missing input labels, which are a common ADA web accessibility issue, and speaking with a ADA defense attorney will allow you to protect your website from claims/lawsuits.
Missing Input Labels Are Common ADA Web Accessibility Issue
What Are Missing Input Labels?
To assess the accessibility of your website, you can use an automated accessibility auditing tool. By doing so, you can gain a good idea of where your website may fall short in regard to ADA accessibility.
Out of all the ADA accessibility problems that pop up when using an automated tool, one of the most common is “missing input labels.”
A missing input label is as follows: if a form field or checkbox – among countless other possibilities – has no HTML label that describes the function of that particular element, then that element is missing an input label.
The purpose of an input label is to describe the purpose of a particular interactive element. This is important because some people rely on assistive technologies that read HTML labels because they can’t see an element directly.
If your website has interactive elements that are missing input labels, then it is very important that these input labels are filled in using the proper HTML markup.
How Can You Develop Proper Input Labels?
The best way to develop proper input labels is to go over the HTML labels that comprise all of the interactive elements currently hosted on your website.
Just as an example, if you have a checkbox, go over that element and see if there is any clarification regarding the overall purpose of this checkbox.
If there is not, then you can develop a piece of HTML code that clarifies the overall purpose and function of that checkbox. To do so, you can add a label that says something like “Do you like eating pizza?”
By adding a label with the question outlined above, someone who uses assistive technology to access that label will understand the purpose of the checkbox – to see if you like pizza – and how to engage with the checkbox.
Outside of the above, there are several more things to remember: you don’t need to word the label as a question, and it may be better to write something along the lines of “Check this box if you like eating pizza.”
On top of that, you should always use the “label for” HTML attribute when developing input labels. This is easier for assistive technologies to read and is often a little more clear.
A good example of a “label for” HTML attribute is as follows: . This element should be followed by an HTML markup that establishes the name of the label, which is “pizza.”
Speak With A New York ADA Web Accessibility Lawyer Today
If you are facing an ADA web accessibility claim or lawsuit, the best thing you can do is work with a lawyer. Speak with a New York ADA web accessibility lawyer at The Samuel Law Firm today, and we will help you protect your website.
