History and Mission | The University of Maryland

University of Maryland App | The University of Maryland

Galleries | The University of Maryland

Inclement Weather | The University of Maryland

Information for Visitors, Parents and Families | The University of Maryland

Contact Us | The University of Maryland

Privacy Notice | The University of Maryland

COVID-19 Information for UMD | The University of Maryland

Colleges and Schools | The University of Maryland

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

University of Maryland

Title / URL	Issues
History and Mission \| The University of Marylandwww.umd.edu/history-and-mission	1
University of Maryland App \| The University of Marylandumd.edu/app	1
Galleries \| The University of Marylandwww.umd.edu/galleries	1
Inclement Weather \| The University of Marylandumd.edu/weather	1
Information for Visitors, Parents and Families \| The University of Marylandumd.edu/information-visitors-parents-and-families	1
Contact Us \| The University of Marylandwww.umd.edu/contact-us	1
Privacy Notice \| The University of Marylandumd.edu/privacy-notice	1
COVID-19 Information for UMD \| The University of Marylandumd.edu/4Maryland	1
Contact Us \| The University of Marylandumd.edu/contact-us	1
Colleges and Schools \| The University of Marylandwww.umd.edu/colleges-and-schools	1

Ensure form controls have labels

University of Maryland

Where this issue has occurred