Ulster University Library

Why Ulster University?

Applying to Ulster University

Join our Global Community

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When selecting a user interface component with the keyboard, the focus indicator must 
not be partly obscured by anything in front of it. This is the stricter version of this check for 
Level AAA.

## 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 2.4.13](https://w3c.github.io/wcag/understanding/focus-not-obscured-enhanced.html)

ensure-focus-is-not-obscured-enhanced

August 2025

July 2025

Ulster University

Title / URL	Issues
Ulster University Librarywww.ulster.ac.uk/library	19
Why Ulster University?www.ulster.ac.uk/global/why	2
Applying to Ulster Universitywww.ulster.ac.uk/global/apply	2
Join our Global Communitywww.ulster.ac.uk/global	2
International Foundation Year at Ulster Universitywww.ulster.ac.uk/global/ify	2
Study Abroadwww.ulster.ac.uk/global/study-abroad	2
Ready for UU for International Studentswww.ulster.ac.uk/global/ready	2
Dates and Deadlineswww.ulster.ac.uk/global/study-abroad/dates	2
International Student Reviewswww.ulster.ac.uk/global/student-reviews	2
Global Buddy Schemewww.ulster.ac.uk/global/buddyscheme	2

Ensure focus is not partly obscured

Ulster University

Where this issue has occurred