Complementary Landmarks Check

Description

The “Complementary Landmarks Check” evaluates whether all the complementary landmarks are not nested within other landmarks.

Example outcome

I noticed that the complementary landmarks are not contained within other landmarks.

Impact

• Visual Impairments: Screen readers may not announce or provide access to complementary regions, especially if nested inside the main or article landmarks.
• Motor Impairments: Navigating directly to complementary content (e.g., via keyboard shortcuts or ARIA landmark navigation) might become impossible if improperly nested.
• Cognitive Disabilities: Inconsistencies in page layout can lead to misunderstanding the structure or purpose of side content.

Fixes

To address inappropriate complementary landmarks:

1. Locate the inappropriately placed complementary landmark.
2. Remove it from within the landmark in which it is nested.

Resources

• WCAG 2.2: Understanding Success Criteria 1.3.1
• WCAG 2.2 Techniques: Technique ARIA11: Using ARIA landmarks to identify regions of a page
• WebAIM: Semantic Structure: Regions, Headings, and Lists