WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Definition Lists Within Forms

for

From: Elle
Date: Feb 17, 2011 5:15PM

A question came up during a code standards meeting today, and I was asked
about the impact to accessibility. The development team wanted to use a
definition list to help categorize form elements, along with labels. I
didn't know of any issues, as long as other rules were followed (fieldsets,
legends, labels, etc.). I can't find any research so far that implies using
definition lists *in addition to *other elements would have any negative
impacts on accessibility. I only find examples where *replacing* a form
element (like a label) with a definition list element would be a bad
decision. So, are there any drawbacks that you guys can see if a person
follows all WCAG 2.0 guidelines and still chooses to contain some related
form elements within a definition list?


Thanks,
Elle


If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the people to gather wood, divide
the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and
endless sea.
- Antoine De Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince