Strategy 2020-2030 | Arts Council England

National Portfolio 2023-26 | Arts Council England

Let's Create | Arts Council England

Research and data | Arts Council England

2023-26 Investment Programme | Arts Council England

In your area | Arts Council England

Supplying the Arts Council | Arts Council England

Contact us | Arts Council England

Creative People and Places | Arts Council England

Area Councils | Arts Council England

People using screen readers are not able to see the layout of a form. To make forms
accessible, they must define explicit text labels for each form control. 

Usually the best solution is to use a `<label>` element. The label may be linked to 
by the form control:

```html
<label for="name">Full name</label>
<input type="name" id="name">
```

or the `<label>` can be wrapped around the form control:

```html
<label>
    Full name <input type="name">
</label>
```

Buttons are different, as their labels are specified by the code for the button, e.g.

```html
<input type="submit" value="Send message">
<button>Send message</button>
```

Alternatively ARIA attributes, such as `aria-label` may be used, but this information
will not be conveyed to visual users. For more information, see [W3C's guide to labeling controls](https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/forms/labels/).

Hidden input fields (`<input type="hidden">`) do not require labels.
Note that the `placeholder` attribute 
[should not be used as an alternative to a label](https://www.w3.org/TR/html/sec-forms.html#the-placeholder-attribute),
nor should the `title` attribute.

## Custom roles

Note that this check considers the underlying accessible role of an element, which can be 
different from the tag itself.

For example, this `<div>` has a `role` of `button`, and so is expected to have a label, like
a button would.

```html
<div role="button"></div>
```

form-control-labels

June 2025

May 2025

Arts Council England

Title / URL	Issues
Strategy 2020-2030 \| Arts Council Englandwww.artscouncil.org.uk/lets-create/strategy-2020-2030	2
National Portfolio 2023-26 \| Arts Council Englandwww.artscouncil.org.uk/NationalPortfolio23	2
Let's Create \| Arts Council Englandwww.artscouncil.org.uk/lets-create	2
Research and data \| Arts Council Englandwww.artscouncil.org.uk/research-and-data	1
2023-26 Investment Programme \| Arts Council Englandwww.artscouncil.org.uk/how-we-invest-public-money/2023-26-Investment-Programme	1
In your area \| Arts Council Englandwww.artscouncil.org.uk/your-area	1
Supplying the Arts Council \| Arts Council Englandwww.artscouncil.org.uk/supplying-arts-council	1
Contact us \| Arts Council Englandwww.artscouncil.org.uk/contact	1
Creative People and Places \| Arts Council Englandwww.artscouncil.org.uk/creative-people-and-places-0	1
Area Councils \| Arts Council Englandwww.artscouncil.org.uk/our-organisation/area-councils	1

Ensure form controls have labels

Arts Council England

Where this issue has occurred