Section 508 - Missing Form Labels

Summary

A form control does not have a corresponding label.

An <input> (except types of image, submit, reset, button, or hidden), <select>, or <textarea> does not have a properly associated label text. A properly associated label is:

• a <label> element with a for attribute value that is equal to the id of a unique form control
• a <label> element that surrounds the form control, does not surround any other form controls, and does not reference another element with its for attribute
• a non-empty title attribute, or
• a non-empty aria-labelledby attribute.

Missing labels:

• Dashboard: <input id="quick-search-submit" class="quick-search-submit" type="submit" value="Search"/>
• People Directory: <input id="queryString" name="queryString" type="text" size="30" class="text" value="">
• Space Directory: <input id="space-search-query" name="queryString" type="text" placeholder="Filter" autocomplete="off" class="text">

Why It Matters

If a form control does not have a properly associated text label, the function or purpose of that form control may not be presented to screen reader users. Form labels also provide visible descriptions and larger clickable targets for form controls.

How to Fix It

If a text label for a form control is visible, use the <label> element to associate it with its respective form control. If there is no visible label, either provide an associated label, add a descriptive title attribute to the form control, or reference the label(s) using aria-labelledby. Labels are not required for image, submit, reset, button, or hidden form controls.

Reference

https://webaim.org/standards/508/checklist#standardn