• Success Criterion 1.4.12
  • Conformance level AA

Web Component Style That Blocks User Text-Spacing Overrides

1.4.12 — Text Spacing

Scenario

Setting

A podcast app's episode list

What’s wrong

Web-component shadow DOM (hidden internal code) styles that user stylesheets can't reach while content clips.

Example

Picture a podcast app's episode list: web-component shadow DOM (hidden internal code) styles that user stylesheets can't reach while content clips.

Why it matters

People with dyslexia or low vision who apply extra text spacing to read. Here, on a podcast app's episode list, the result is they can't read the text against its background.

How to test

Apply a user stylesheet with the text-spacing override to a web component: if its shadow DOM styles block the override from reaching the internal text, it fails.

How to fix

With user text-spacing overrides applied (line height 1.5, paragraph 2x, letter 0.12em, word 0.16em), all content and controls must remain visible and usable.

Outcome

After the fix, the same visitor to a podcast app's episode list can now read the text clearly against its background.

Who is affected

People with dyslexia or low vision who apply extra text spacing to read.

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