Why form accessibility is critical
Forms are the main interaction points on a website. An inaccessible form effectively excludes assistive technology users.
RGAA Theme 11 dedicates 13 criteria to forms, making it the second largest theme.
Criterion 11.1 — Field labels
Every form field must have a programmatically associated label.
<label for="email">Email address</label>
<input type="email" id="email" name="email" />Criterion 11.10 — Error handling
<input type="email" id="email" aria-invalid="true"
aria-describedby="email-error" />
<p id="email-error" role="alert">
Please enter a valid email address
</p>Criterion 11.13 — Autocomplete
<input type="text" autocomplete="given-name" />
<input type="email" autocomplete="email" />
<input type="tel" autocomplete="tel" />Quick checklist
| Criterion | Check | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 11.1 | Every field has an associated label | Critical |
| 11.5 | Related fields grouped with fieldset | Moderate |
| 11.9 | Buttons have meaningful text | Critical |
| 11.10 | Errors identified and described | Critical |
| 11.13 | Autocomplete on common fields | Moderate |