4.1.3: Status Messages

What it means

Status messages must be announced to assistive technology without moving focus. Success alerts, search result counts, and form errors added dynamically need aria-live or role=“status”.

Sighted users see toasts; blind users need programmatic notification.

How to fix it

• Use role=“status” or aria-live=“polite” for non-critical updates.
• Use role=“alert” or aria-live=“assertive” for important errors.
• Do not steal focus to announce background changes.
• Test that screen readers speak “5 results found” when filters update.

Quick examples

• Good: Adding an item to cart announces “Item added” via a live region.
• Bad: A green toast appears visually but is not exposed to screen readers.
• Good: Inline form validation messages use aria-live on the error container.
• Bad: Search results update silently with no announcement or focus move.