Ensure Table Headers Have Discernible Text

Casandra Visser

Author

Researcher

Ritvik Shrivastava

Expert

July 29, 2024

Disabilities affected: Blind Low vision

Standards: WCAG 2.1 Level A

Table header elements should always have visible text. Ensure that table headers can be used by screen reader users.

Why It Matters

Table header elements should have visible text that describes the purpose of the row or column, which benefits both sighted and screen reader users.

Fixing the Issue

Developers should check all table header elements to ensure they have visible text.

Good Code Examples

Code example

<table><tr><th>Student Name</th></tr></table> Copy

Bad Code Examples

Code example

<table><tr><th></th></tr></table><table><tr><th aria-label="Student Name"></th></tr></table> Copy