Laurentian University | Services

Laurentian University | Laurentian Alumni

Laurentian University | Make an Impact

Laurentian University | Research

Laurentian University | Academics

Laurentian University | Fees & Financing

Laurentian University | Perdue Central Analytical Facility

Laurentian University | Admissions

Laurentian University | Wellness Support Services

When selecting a user interface component with the keyboard, the focus indicator must 
not be completely obscured by anything in front of it.

## Why this matters

When using a keyboard, it is important that the user can see where they are on the page.
If the focus indicator is obscured, the user may not know where they are, and may not
be able to interact with the page.

## Examples

Most common examples include:

* Banners at the top or bottom of the page, such as cookie banners
* Fixed navigation bars
* Fixed footers
* Popup modals, such as cookie consent modals

## How to fix

With elements that cover part of the screen, such as cookie banners, ensure
that the user can scroll to see any content behind the banner, without having to close
the banner.

With popup modals, it should usually be impossible to focus anything behind the modal.
Most common modal frameworks will automatically trap focus within the modal, so that
this is impossible. Example: [Bootstrap Modal](https://getbootstrap.com/docs/5.2/components/modal/#live-demo).

## Further reading

This is part of the draft WCAG 2.2 specification and is subject to change.

* [WCAG 2.4.12](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/focus-not-obscured.html)

ensure-focus-is-not-obscured-minimum

June 2025

May 2025

Laurentian University

Title / URL	Issues
Laurentian University \| Serviceslaurentian.ca/services	22
Laurentian University \| Laurentian Alumnilaurentian.ca/alumni	19
Laurentian University \| Make an Impactlaurentian.ca/give	15
Laurentian University \| Researchlaurentian.ca/research	12
Laurentian University \| Academicslaurentian.ca/academics	6
Laurentian University \| Fees & Financinglaurentian.ca/fees-financing	5
Laurentian University \| Perdue Central Analytical Facilitylaurentian.ca/research/pcaf	5
Laurentian University \| Admissionslaurentian.ca/admissions	3
Laurentian University \| Wellness Support Serviceslaurentian.ca/support	3

Ensure focus is not fully obscured

Laurentian University

Where this issue has occurred