Success Criterion 2.5.1
Conformance level A

Slider Operable Only by Dragging, Not by Tapping or Typing

2.5.1 — Pointer Gestures

Scenario

Setting

A weather app's forecast screen

What’s wrong

Slider widgets requiring drag along a track (path-based) with no tap-on-track/stepper/keyboard-visible alternative for pointer users.

Example

<div ontouchstart="handleSwipe()"></div> <!-- swipe-only delete -->

Why it matters

People with limited hand mobility and users of head-pointers, sticks, or eye-gaze systems.

How to test

Try clicking directly on the slider track (or using a stepper) instead of dragging the thumb: if only path-based dragging works, it fails.

How to fix

A single-tap/click alternative must exist for every path-based or multi-point gesture.

<div ontouchstart="handleSwipe()"></div>

<button aria-label="Delete item">🗑</button>

Any path-based or multi-touch gesture needs a single-tap alternative that does the same thing.

Outcome

On a weather app's forecast screen, this barrier is gone for people with limited hand mobility and users of head-pointers — they no longer have to work around this.

Who is affected