WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: Icon instead of text > open in new window

for

From: Jeremy Echols
Date: May 15, 2017 12:41PM

Part of the problem is that it needs to be advisory information only, not information that makes the page accessible. The reason it needs to be unimportant text is that it may not be read by a screen reader. In testing, NVDA isn't reading a title on an <a> tag, nor am I able to see the title in Firefox unless I hover the mouse over it (keyboard focus isn't enough).

From WebAIM again:

"The title attribute is not read for most elements by default in most screen readers. Exceptions are the frame element and form elements that do not have a label. When a form element does not have a label, but does have a title, the title will typically be read. This approach, however, is often a misuse of title - if the title attribute is necessary to ensure accessibility of the form element, then it is certainly contains more than simply advisory information."

If the fact that it opens externally is an important consideration for AT users, a title won't suffice. If opening in an external tab/window isn't important, then there's no need to put it in a title since AT users likely won't get that title anyway.