3984 labels descriptions (#4212)

mbgower · patrickhlauke · kfranqueiro · web-flow · commit dbb32072d54b · 2025-04-22T08:04:38.000-07:00
Closes #3984 by incorporating the idea of accuracy into 2.4.6 Headings and Labels, and reinforcing the relationship between 2.4.6 and 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions. Also took the opportunity to use em dashes instead of dashes, where appropriate. --------- Co-authored-by: Patrick H. Lauke <redux@splintered.co.uk> Co-authored-by: Kenneth G. Franqueiro <kfranqueiro@users.noreply.github.com>
diff --git a/understanding/20/headings-and-labels.html b/understanding/20/headings-and-labels.html
@@ -31,25 +31,22 @@ <h2>Intent of Headings and Labels</h2>
          may suffice if it provides an appropriate cue to finding and navigating content.
       </p>
       
-      <p>This success criterion does not require headings or labels. This Success Criterion
-         requires that if headings or labels are provided, they be descriptive. This success criterion also
+      <p>This success criterion requires that if headings or labels are provided, they be descriptive. This success criterion does not require headings or labels; labels for inputs are covered separately by <a href="labels-or-instructions">3.3.2 Labels or Instructions</a>.  This success criterion also
          does not require that content acting as a heading or label be correctly marked up or
-         identified – this aspect is covered separately by
+         identified — that aspect is covered separately by
          <a href="info-and-relationships">1.3.1: Info and Relationships</a>. It is possible for content
          to pass this success criterion (providing descriptive content that acts as headings or labels) while failing
          Success Criterion 1.3.1 (if the headings or labels aren't correctly marked up/identified). Conversely,
          it is also possible for content to pass Success Criterion 1.3.1 (with headings or labels correctly
-         marked up or identified), while failing this success criterion (if those headings or labels are not
-         sufficiently clear or descriptive).
+         marked up or identified), while failing this success criterion (if those headings or labels are inaccurate or insufficiently clear).
       </p>
       <p>Further, in the case of labels, this success criterion does not take into consideration whether or not
-         alternative methods of providing an accessible name for form controls and inputs has been
-         used – this aspect is covered separately by <a href="name-role-value">4.1.2: Name, Role and Value</a>. It is possible
+         alternative methods of providing an accessible name for form controls and inputs have been
+         used — that aspect is covered separately by <a href="name-role-value">4.1.2: Name, Role and Value</a>. It is possible
          for controls and inputs to have an appropriate accessible name (e.g. using <code>aria-label="…"</code>)
-         and therefore pass Success Criterion 4.1.2, but to still fail this success criterion (if the label is not
-         sufficiently clear or descriptive).
+         and therefore pass Success Criterion 4.1.2, but to still fail this success criterion (if the label is inaccurate or insufficiently clear or descriptive).
       </p>
-      <p>This success criterion does not require the use of labels; however, it does require that if labels are present, they must be sufficiently clear or descriptive. Please see <a href="labels-or-instructions">3.3.2: Labels or Instructions</a> for more information on the use of labels.
+      <p>This success criterion does not require the use of labels; however, it does require that if labels are present, they must be accurate and sufficiently clear or descriptive. Please see <a href="labels-or-instructions">3.3.2: Labels or Instructions</a> for more information on the use of labels.
       </p>         
       
    </section>
@@ -60,12 +57,12 @@ <h2>Benefits of Headings and Labels</h2>
          <li>Descriptive headings are especially helpful for users who have disabilities that make
             reading slow and for people with limited short-term memory. These people benefit when
             section titles make it possible to predict what each section contains.</li>
-         <li>Form input controls with labels that clearly describe the content that is expected to be
+         <li>Form input controls with labels that clearly and accurately describe the content that is expected to be
             entered helps users know how to successfully complete the form.</li>
          <li>When headings and labels are also correctly marked up and identified in accordance with
-            <a href="info-and-relationships">1.3.1: Info and Relationships</a>, this Success Criterion
+            <a href="info-and-relationships">1.3.1: Info and Relationships</a>, this success criterion
             helps people who use screen readers by ensuring that labels and headings are clearer when
-            presented in a different format – for example, in an automatically generated list of
+            presented in a different format — for example, in an automatically generated list of
             headings, a table of contents, or when jumping from heading to heading within a page.</li>
       </ul>
       
@@ -78,12 +75,12 @@ <h2>Examples of Headings and Labels</h2>
          <dt>A news site</dt>
          <dd>The home page of a news site lists the headlines for the top stories of the hour.
                Under each heading are the first 35 words of the story and a link to the full article.
-               Each headline gives a clear idea of the article's subject.</dd>
+               Each headline gives a clear and accurate idea of the article's subject.</dd>
          <dt>A guide on how to write well</dt>
          <dd>A guide on writing contains the following section titles: <q>How To Write Well</q>,
                <q>Cut Out Useless Words</q>, <q>Identify Unnecessary Words</q>, and so on.
                The section headings are clear and concise and the structure of the information is
-               reflected in the structure of the headings.</dd>
+               accurately reflected in the structure of the headings.</dd>
          <dt>Consistent headings in different articles</dt>
          <dd>A website contains papers from a conference. Submissions to the conference are required
                to have the following organization: <q>Summary</q>, <q>Introduction</q>, [other sections unique
diff --git a/understanding/20/labels-or-instructions.html b/understanding/20/labels-or-instructions.html
@@ -41,13 +41,13 @@ <h2>Intent of Labels or Instructions</h2>
       </p>
          
       <p>This success criterion does not require that labels or instructions be correctly marked up, 
-         identified, or associated with their respective controls - this aspect is covered separately by
+         identified, or associated with their respective controls — that aspect is covered separately by
          <a href="info-and-relationships">1.3.1: Info and Relationships</a>. It is possible for content
          to pass this success criterion (providing relevant labels and instructions) while failing
          Success Criterion 1.3.1 (if the labels or instructions aren't correctly marked up, identified, or associated).
       </p>
       <p>Further, this success criterion does not take into consideration whether or not alternative methods of
-         providing an accessible name or description for form controls and inputs has been used - this aspect is
+         providing an accessible name or description for form controls and inputs has been used — that aspect is
          covered separately by <a href="name-role-value">4.1.2: Name, Role and Value</a>. It is possible
          for controls and inputs to have an appropriate accessible name or description (e.g. using <code>aria-label="..."</code>)
          and therefore pass Success Criterion 4.1.2, but to still fail this success criterion (if the labels or instructions
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ <h2>Intent of Labels or Instructions</h2>
          interactive components) that are not associated with data entry.
       </p>
       <p>While this success criterion requires that controls and inputs have labels or instructions, whether or
-         not labels (if used) are sufficiently clear or descriptive is covered separately by
+         not labels (if used) are accurate, sufficiently clear, or descriptive is covered separately by
          <a href="headings-and-labels">2.4.6: Headings and Labels</a>.
       </p> 
 
@@ -69,8 +69,8 @@ <h2>Benefits of Labels or Instructions</h2>
       <ul>
          
          <li>Providing labels and instructions (including examples of expected
-            data formats) helps all users - but particularly those with cognitive, language, and learning
-            disabilities - to enter information correctly.
+            data formats) helps all users — but particularly those with cognitive, language, and learning
+            disabilities — to enter information correctly.
          </li>
          
          <li>Providing labels and instructions (including identification of required
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ <h2>Examples of Labels or Instructions</h2>
          
          <li>To enter their name, users are provided with two separate text fields. Rather than
             having a single label "Name" (which would appear to leave the second text field unlabelled),
-            each field is given an explicit label - "Given Name" and "Family Name".
+            each field is given an explicit label — "Given Name" and "Family Name".
          </li>
          
          <li>A U.S. phone number separates the area code, exchange, and number into three fields.
