Input buttons must have discernible text

Rule ID: input-button-name
User Impact: Critical
WCAG: 4.1.2

Compliance Data & Impact

User Impact

Disabilities Affected

  • Blind
  • Deafblind

Requirement(s)

  • Section 508: MUST

WCAG Success Criteria

  • 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value

Section 508 Guidelines

  • 1194.22 (a) Text equivalent for non-text elements

Rule Description

Ensures input buttons have discernible text.

The input-button-name rule separates functionality from the button-name rule to ensure that input buttons have discernible text; advise relevant to input button names was incorrect for button elements.

Why it Matters

Screen reader users are not able to discern the purpose of an input type="button" without an accessible name.

Screen reader users cannot understand the purpose of an image without a discernable and accessible textual name. A title for an image may provide only advisory information about the image itself. Unnamed actionable graphic images such as buttons have no clear description of the destination, purpose, function or action for the non-text content when it is intended to be used as a control.

How to Fix the Problem

Correct markup solutions

Eleven markup patterns pass the input-button-name test criteria:

<form action="#">
    <input type="button" id="pass1" value="Button Name" />
    <input type="button" id="pass2" aria-label="Name" />
    <input type="button" id="pass3" aria-labelledby="labeldiv" />
    <input type="button" id="pass4" value="Name" aria-label="Aria Name" />
    <input type="submit" id="pass5" />
    <input type="submit" value="Something" id="pass6" />
    <input type="reset" id="pass7" />
    <input type="reset" value="Something" id="pass8" />
    <input type="button" title="Something" id="pass9" />
    <input type="submit" title="Something" id="pass10" />
    <input type="reset" title="Something" id="pass11" />
</form>

Incorrect markup solutions

Five markup patterns fail the input-button-name test criteria:

<form action="#">
    <input type="button" id="fail1" />
</form>
 
<form action="#">
    <input type="button" id="fail2" aria-label="" />
</form>
 
<form action="#">
    <input type="button" id="fail3" aria-labelledby="nonexistent" />
</form>
 
<form action="#">
    <input type="button" id="fail4" aria-labelledby="emptydiv" />
    <div id="labeldiv">Button label</div>
    <div id="emptydiv"></div>
</form>
 
<form action="#">
    <input type="submit" value="" id="fail5" />
</form>
 
<form action="#">
    <input type="reset" value="" id="fail6" />
</form>

The Algorithm (in simple terms)

Input buttons must have discernible text.