Success Criterion 1.1.1
Conformance level A

Meaningful Emoji With No Text Explaining Its Intent

1.1.1 — Non-text Content

Scenario

Setting

A crowdfunding platform's campaign page

What’s wrong

Emojis used as sole content carriers with no accessible name context (screen reader announces literal Unicode name that misleads).

Example

<img src="chart.png">

Why it matters

Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, and anyone who browses with images disabled, when icons or photos carry meaning.

How to test

Check the alt/aria-label on emoji used to convey meaning (e.g., a warning emoji as a status icon): if there's no text conveying the intended meaning, it fails.

How to fix

Accompany meaning-bearing emojis with text (or aria-label) conveying the intended meaning.

<img src="chart.png" alt="Q3 revenue chart showing 12% growth">

The alt attribute gives assistive technology the same information the image conveys visually.

Outcome

On a crowdfunding platform's campaign page, this barrier is gone for blind and low-vision people using screen readers — they get the same result as anyone else here.

Who is affected