Checkpoint 4.1 - Core

HTML designates special markup for different types of lists. Each of these lists has display properties that are appropriate to its purpose. For example, in an ordered list the items are numbered whilst an unordered list uses bullets and a description of a term in a definition list will be positioned below the term.

Screen readers have the ability to aggregate lists and present them to users separately from the rest of the page. This allows visually impaired users to scan a web page, just like a sighted user would. Therefore, elements which belong in lists should be marked up as lists, rather than having the bullets or numbers added to the elements themselves.

Elements which do not belong in lists should not be marked up as lists for the sake of visual presentation. For example, you should not assign an element to a list as a means of displaying it with a number or bullet.

Requirement

The HTML list elements <dl>, <ul>, and <ol> should only be used to create lists, and not for formatting effects such as indentation.

Any logical listing of two or more items must use the HTML list elements and lists must not be created using the <br> or <p> elements.

Recommendation

All terms and definitions must be marked up as Definition Lists using the <dl> element.

Checking Tool

• Internet Explorer - AIS toolbar: Structure > List Items
• Firefox - Web Developer's Toolbar: Outline > Custom Elements, type ol (or ul or dl)and click OK

Information Source

The original source of this information is located on the W3C web site  (www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-list-structure)