Success Criterion 1.3.3
Conformance level A

Instruction That Says ‘See the Sidebar’ With No Other Locator

1.3.3 — Sensory Characteristics

Scenario

Setting

A nonprofit's donation form

What’s wrong

"See the sidebar/left menu/below" as the only locator, meaningless when linearized or zoomed to single column.

Example

<main>
  <p>For tax receipt details, see the sidebar.</p>
</main>
<aside>
  <h2>Tax Receipt Info</h2>
  <p>Your donation is tax-deductible...</p>
</aside>

Why it matters

On a narrow screen the sidebar collapses below the main content, so "see the sidebar" no longer describes where anything actually is.

How to test

Read the instruction alone: 'see the sidebar' or 'the menu on the left' is meaningless once the layout changes (e.g., single-column mobile view) or to a screen reader user.

How to fix

Link directly to the named section instead of describing its screen position.

<p>For tax receipt details, see <a href="#tax-info">Tax Receipt Info</a> below.</p>
<aside>
  <h2 id="tax-info">Tax Receipt Info</h2>
</aside>

Outcome

A mobile user taps the "Tax Receipt Info" link and jumps straight to it, wherever it currently sits on screen.

Who is affected

Screen reader users, mobile users, and low-vision users zoomed in all lose the spatial reference "sidebar" once the layout reflows to one column.

Learn more

Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)