F54: Failure of Success Criterion 2.1.1 due to using only pointing-device-specific event handlers (including gesture) for a function | WAI | W3C Skip to content

Technique F54:Failure of Success Criterion 2.1.1 due to using only pointing-device-specific event handlers (including gesture) for a function

About this Technique

This technique relates to 2.1.1: Keyboard (Failure).

This failure applies to technologies that have event handlers specific to pointing devices.

Description

When pointing device-specific event handlers are the only mechanism available to invoke a function of the content, users with no vision (who cannot use devices such as mice that require eye-hand coordination) as well as users who must use alternate keyboards or input devices that act as keyboard emulators will be unable to access the function of the content.

For Success Criterion 2.1.1 there is an exception for functions that require a path-dependant pointer movement.

Examples

Example 1: An image that responds to a mouse click to go to another page

This is a failure because the keyboard cannot be used to move to the next page.

<p><img onmousedown="nextPage();" src="nextarrow.gif" alt="Go to next page"></p>

Tests

Procedure

  1. Check to see whether pointing-device-specific event handlers are the only means to invoke scripting functions.
  2. Check if the function being invoked requires input information about a specific path for a pointing device

Expected Results

  • If check #1 is true, then this failure condition applies and content fails Success Criterion 2.1.3.
  • If check #1 is true and check #2 is false, then this failure condition applies and content fails Success Criteria 2.1.1 and 2.1.3.
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