- Success Criterion 1.3.1
- Conformance level A
- W3C reference F90
Table Cells Linked to the Wrong Header Cells
1.3.1 — Info and Relationships
Scenario
Setting
A community forum's discussion thread
What’s wrong
Table cells point to the wrong header cells (broken headers/id links (code linking data cells to their headers) wiring) — screen readers read incorrect column/row names for the data.
Example
This shows up on a community forum's discussion thread: table cells point to the wrong header cells (broken headers/id links (code linking data cells to their headers) wiring) — screen readers read incorrect column/row names for the data.
Why it matters
Screen-reader, braille, and reading-tool users who depend on coded structure rather than visual layout. Here, on a community forum's discussion thread, the result is they can't tell what's going on without extra effort.
How to test
Click into a data cell and check its headers attribute (or use NVDA/JAWS table navigation, Ctrl+Alt+arrows): if it announces the wrong column/row header, it fails.
How to fix
Point headers/id associations (code linking data cells to their headers) at the correct header cells (or use scope for simple tables).
Outcome
After the fix, the same visitor to a community forum's discussion thread can now understand how the page is organized.
Who is affected
Screen-reader, braille, and reading-tool users who depend on coded structure rather than visual layout.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
- Technique Related technique (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Text Styled to Look Like a Heading Instead of Coded as One
- Text Columns Faked With Spaces Instead of Real Table Markup
- Table Layout Faked With Spaces Instead of Real Table Code
- Clickable Div Acting as a Link Button With No Real Role
- Structural HTML Tags Used Purely for Visual Styling
- Layout-Only Table Wrongly Coded With Real Header Cells