WCAG 2.1 · Level A · Robust
WCAG 4.1.2 — Name, Role, Value, explained with examples
For every UI component, the name, role, and state (and any value where applicable) must be programmatically determinable. A custom toggle that looks like a switch but is built from <div>s is invisible to assistive tech. WCAG 4.1.2 is the bridge between custom UI and the accessibility tree.
- Number
- 4.1.2
- Level
- A
- Principle
- Robust
- Guideline
- 4.1 Compatible
Why this criterion exists
A custom toggle that looks like a switch but is built from <div>s is invisible to assistive tech. WCAG 4.1.2 is the bridge between custom UI and the accessibility tree.
If you only remember one thing: for every ui component, the name, role, and state (and any value where applicable) must be programmatically determinable. Everything else on this page is detail.
Who feels it when this fails
Accessibility criteria sometimes feel abstract until you see who pays the cost when a site ignores them. Name, Role, Value affects:
Screen reader users
Voice control users
Switch device users
How sites typically fail it
These are the patterns we see week after week. None are intentional — they are accidents of how teams build interfaces under deadline. Knowing the failure modes is the fastest path to writing them out of your component library.
<div role="button"> without aria-label
Toggle state not reflected in aria-pressed
Custom dropdown without combobox role
How to test for it
Inspect components with the browser accessibility tree (Chrome DevTools → Accessibility).
Automated scanners catch this criterion most of the time, but never all of the time. Manual testing with the keyboard and a screen reader closes the gap.
A code fix you can copy
<button> gives role and keyboard handling. aria-pressed conveys the on/off state to assistive tech.
The problem
<div class="toggle-on" onclick="toggle()"></div>The fix
<button type="button" aria-pressed="true" onclick="toggle()">
Notifications
</button><button> gives role and keyboard handling. aria-pressed conveys the on/off state to assistive tech.
Other Robust criteria
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