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interface has a search bar that is actually a button. WHY?????

for

From: Andy Andrews
Date: Oct 5, 2021 3:29PM

Hello All,

We were using keyboard navigation to test the De Gruyter interface [https://www.degruyter.com/database/ebr/html#] and encountered a very confusing situation. After tabbing to the search bar and attempting to enter a search term, nothing appears in the field. We discovered that if you click on or hit enter in the search bar, it acts as a button and opens a pop up. In this case, screen reader users would actually have an easier time because the screen reader says it is a button. So it technically is accessible, but functionally it is not acting as expected for most users.

Would WCAG fail this and if so, what violation would it be?


Andy Andrews, MCRP
Accessibility Coordinator
IT Services & Digital Strategies, University of Washington Libraries
206.685.1625 | <EMAIL REMOVED>
My pronouns are he/they

Accessibility is giving equitable access to everyone along the continuum of human ability and experience. Accessibility encompasses the broader meanings of compliance and refers to how organizations make space for the characteristics that each person brings.