WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: Links open in new tab or window in LMS

for

From: glen walker
Date: Oct 5, 2018 10:51AM

You're not necessarily wrong, but there isn't a WCAG requirement that a
link must indicate it opens in a new window. 2.4.4 talks about the link
purpose, and if the purpose of the link (go to site "foo") is understood,
then whether that link opens in the same window or a new window is somewhat
separate. You might argue that part of the "purpose" is to also tell the
user it will open in a new window, but 2.4.4 doesn't specifically say
that. That's why it's more of a usability issue, as Joe stated.

And in general, and this is a super broad statement, accessibility deals
with things that are available to some users but not others. That is,
equal access is not given to all users. If all users have the same access,
then it's typically not an accessibility issue. In this case, if the link
does not indicate it opens a new window, meaning no users know it will open
in a new window, then it's not an accessibility issue. It's a usability
issue. All users have the same access and get the same (bad) experience.

Glen