If you're using an icon to convey meaning (rather than only as a decorative element), ensure that this meaning is also conveyed to assistive technologies. This goes for content you're abbreviating via icons as well as interactive controls (buttons, form elements, toggles, etc.). There are a few techniques to accomplish this:
- If not representing an interactive element, like a button or link, use both a title attribute and an on the icon to provide a text alternative. This has the advantages of working with all modern screen readers, working well with the most ubiquitous speech recognition program, and helping users with cognitive disabilities by providing a mouse tooltip.
+ The simplest way to provide a text alternative is to use the aria-hidden="true" attribute on the icon and to include the text with an additional element, such as a <span>, with appropriate CSS to visually hide the element while keeping it accessible to assistive technologies. In addition, you can add a title attribute on the icon to provide a tooltip for sighted mouse users.
- In addition to the recommendations above, use a title attribute which makes the accessible text discoverable by mouse and those with cognitive disabilities.
+ In the case of focusable interactive elements, there are various options to include an alternative text or label to the element, without the need for any visually hidden <span> or similar. For instance, simply adding the title attribute to the interactive element itself will be sufficient to provide an accessible alternative name for the element, as well as providing the mouse tooltip.