Community | University of Prince Edward Island

Contact UPEI | University of Prince Edward Island

Research Services | University of Prince Edward Island

Tuition and Fees | University of Prince Edward Island

Current Students | University of Prince Edward Island

Future Students | University of Prince Edward Island

UPEI Home Page | University of Prince Edward Island

Faculties and Schools | University of Prince Edward Island

UPEI Programs | University of Prince Edward Island

Alumni | University of Prince Edward Island

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

May 2025

April 2025

University of Prince Edward Island

Title / URL	Issues
Community \| University of Prince Edward Islandwww.upei.ca/community	9
Contact UPEI \| University of Prince Edward Islandwww.upei.ca/contact	9
Research Services \| University of Prince Edward Islandwww.upei.ca/research-services	9
Tuition and Fees \| University of Prince Edward Islandwww.upei.ca/fees	9
Current Students \| University of Prince Edward Islandwww.upei.ca/current-students	9
Future Students \| University of Prince Edward Islandwww.upei.ca/future-students	9
UPEI Home Page \| University of Prince Edward Islandwww.upei.ca/	9
Faculties and Schools \| University of Prince Edward Islandwww.upei.ca/faculties-and-schools	9
UPEI Programs \| University of Prince Edward Islandwww.upei.ca/programs	9
Alumni \| University of Prince Edward Islandwww.upei.ca/alumni	9

Ensure focus is not fully obscured

University of Prince Edward Island

Where this issue has occurred