- Success Criterion 1.1.1
- Conformance level A
CAPTCHA Challenge With No Text-Based Way to Solve It
1.1.1 — Non-text Content
Scenario
Setting
A podcast app's episode list
What’s wrong
CAPTCHA with no text alternative describing its purpose, or only a single sensory modality offered (visual-only, audio-only).
Example
Here's a real case from a podcast app's episode list: CAPTCHA with no text alternative describing its purpose, or only a single sensory modality offered (visual-only, audio-only).
Why it matters
Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning. In this case (a podcast app's episode list), they are left guessing what the media actually shows.
How to test
Read the CAPTCHA's instructions: it should state its purpose in text and offer at least one non-purely-visual, non-purely-audio method — a single-modality CAPTCHA with no described alternative fails.
How to fix
Describe the CAPTCHA's purpose in text and offer at least one alternative modality (audio + visual, or a non-sensory method).
Outcome
Once corrected, a podcast app's episode list lets them hear or read what the media conveys.
Who is affected
Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Product Photo Added as a CSS Background With No Alt Text
- Chart Alt Text That Never Explains What Each Color Means
- Outdated Alt Text That No Longer Matches the Image
- Alt Text Left as a Filename Instead of a Real Description
- Decorative Image Not Hidden From Screen Reader Users
- Decorative Image Given Alt Text Instead of Being Marked Silent