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Re: Does WCAG require headings start at 1?

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From: Birkir R. Gunnarsson
Date: Jul 23, 2021 2:08PM

Yeap, it's a great article.
The short answer is, no.
1.3.1 basically says that text that looks like heading should be
marked up as headings and text that looks bigger should be presented
as lower level headings.
The largest heading on the page, tyipcally the title of the main
contnet, should have the lowest heading level (typically h1).

Anything that looks smaller than that should have a higher heading level.
If two headings visually look to have the same emphasis (they get the
same visual treatment) they should have the same heading level.

The best/most predictable heading structure is to have the main
content of the page start with an h1 heading.
Sometimes you have headings as part of the header navigation (e.g. to
separate sections), I'd use h2 or h3 headings for those (and, yes, to
someone navigating the page with a screen readers they will come
first).


On 7/23/21, Jonathan Avila < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> You may find this article useful about headings:
> https://www.tpgi.com/heading-off-confusion-when-do-headings-fail-wcag/
>
> Jonathan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of
> Krista Greear
> Sent: Friday, July 23, 2021 3:40 PM
> To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> Subject: [WebAIM] Does WCAG require headings start at 1?
>
> CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not
> click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the
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>
>
> Perhaps this question is a bit silly but I'm looking for confirmation -
>
> Is there any where in the WCAG that says that web page headings need to
> start with an h1? There are numerous examples on the W3's site that have
> headings start with an h2.
>
> Thanks!
>
> --
> Krista Greear
> Accessibility and Inclusivity Crusader
> ATHEN Executive Council Vice President
> Access Technology Higher Education Network <https://athenpro.org/>
> > > http://webaim.org/discussion/archives
> > > > > >


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