WCAG 1.3.3 — Sensory Characteristics — instructions rely solely on shape/location

Who Is Affected

Screen reader users who cannot perceive visual characteristics like color, shape, size, or spatial relationships. Also affects users with cognitive disabilities who may have difficulty processing multiple types of sensory information simultaneously.

What This Means

Instructions that rely solely on sensory characteristics exclude users who cannot perceive those characteristics. Examples include:

• "Click the green button to continue"
• "Select the round icon in the top right corner"
• "See the form below for more information"
• "Listen for the audio cue to proceed"

These instructions fail because screen reader users hear the text but cannot perceive the visual or auditory cues being referenced. The instruction becomes meaningless without additional context.

Fix: Content Editor

Review all instructional text on your pages and add non-sensory identifiers alongside any visual references:

Replace sensory-only instructions:

Instead of: "Click the red Submit button" Use: "Click the Submit button (red button at bottom of form)"

Instead of: "Select the round Help icon" Use: "Select the Help icon (round icon with question mark)"

Instead of: "Complete the form below" Use: "Complete the Application for Services form"

Instead of: "Click here for more information" Use: "Click 'View Eligibility Requirements' for more information"

Common fixes by instruction type:

Buttons and links:

• Include the button/link text or label
• Reference the section or heading it appears under
• Mention its function or destination

Form elements:

• Use the field label or legend text
• Reference the form title or section
• Describe the expected input

Navigation:

• Use menu names or page titles
• Reference landmark regions (main content, sidebar, footer)
• Include hierarchical context (under Services > Applications)

Fix: CMS / Theme

If your theme includes pre-written instructional text that relies on sensory characteristics:

Joomla:

1. Go to Extensions → Languages → Overrides
2. Search for the problematic text strings
3. Create language overrides with non-sensory alternatives
4. Test with a screen reader to verify clarity

WordPress:

1. Check theme language files (.pot, .po files) for sensory instructions
2. Use a translation plugin like Loco Translate to override problematic strings
3. Update template files if instructions are hard-coded in PHP
4. Ensure child theme customizations follow accessibility patterns

Standard Reference

WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.3.3 — Sensory Characteristics, Level A

Instructions provided for understanding and operating content do not rely solely on sensory characteristics of components such as shape, color, size, visual location, orientation, or sound.

• W3C Understanding SC 1.3.3
• WCAG Technique G96 — Providing textual identification of items
• WCAG Failure F14 — Instructions rely solely on sensory characteristics
• WCAG Failure F26 — Instructions rely solely on visual cues