RE: Images that fail contrast

  1.  The non-text contrast requirements apply to the icon.

  2.  WCAG defines a label as "text or other component with a text alternative that is presented to a user to identify a component within Web content". As long as your icon has a text alternative, then it's a label.

The Understanding page for the "Label in Name" success criterion (2.5.3) says "Note that where a visible text label does not exist for a component, this Success Criterion does not apply to that component." This means that the SC does not apply to your icon. I find this totally unsatisfactory because people using voice recognition software do not know how to interact with that component, yet it is deemed to be WCAG-conformant.

  3.  Only the non-text contrast requirement applies to the image. The colour contrast requirement only applies to text or images of text, and the image of the icon is clearly neither.

Steve Green
Managing Director
Test Partners Ltd


From: Ms J <ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com>
Sent: 08 April 2021 12:03
To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Subject: Images that fail contrast

Hello

I have three questions

1. if an icon (such as google material icons) is used as a label for a button, for example, a trash can for 'delete', does this count as text? Should it come under 'non text contrast' or 'colour contrast'
2. If an icon is used as a label that isnt a standard icon and does not have an obvious corresponding word so that voice activation users would know how to reference it by name, does that come under labels and instructions? Or non-text content?
3. If a background image of an icon is used as a label for a button, and the button does have an aria-label, I would assume this still comes under non text content, as when the CSS image is not displayed, the information isn't there for low vision users. But would it also fail contrast guidelines? Images of text do, but this is an image of an icon...

Thanks

Sarah

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