When creating accessible digital documents or web content it is essential to ensure that all users, people with visual, cognitive, or motor impairments, can comprehend the document’s hierarchy. One often overlooked aspect of accessibility is the use of alt text with table of contents entries.
A table of contents serves as an organizational outline, allowing them to find specific topics efficiently. For screen reader users, this structure becomes vitally important because it provides a navigational hierarchy. However, if the TOC entries are implemented using unmarked containers like
It’s important to clarify that true alt attributes apply only to img elements. For TOC entries, the correct accessibility approach involves employing structured markup with ARIA and semantic tags. If a TOC entry includes an image or icon—like a collapsible triangle, document icon, or chevron—that reinforces the function of the link, then that image must have a concise textual equivalent. For example, if a TOC entry uses a small icon of a document next to the heading “Chapter 3: Data Analysis,” the alt text for ketik that icon should be descriptive but concise, such as “Document icon” or simply omitted if the text alone is sufficient. Avoid using alt text like “here” or “go”, which fails to support navigation.
The primary method for making TOC entries accessible is to adopt standards-compliant markup. Each TOC item should be marked up as an
- or
- , and each entry should be enclosed in an
