Improved .visually-hidden
Theorically bulletproof CSS class for visually hide anything and keep it accessible to ATs.
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September 9, 2025 13:36
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Improved .sr-only
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| <button type="button"> | |
| <span aria-hidden="true">×</span> | |
| <span class="visually-hidden">Close</span> | |
| </button> | |
| <a href="/" class="visually-hidden-focusable">Skippy</a> | |
| <div dir="rtl"> | |
| <button type="button"> | |
| <span aria-hidden="true">×</span> | |
| <span class="visually-hidden">Close</span> | |
| </button> | |
| <a href="ffoodd.fr" class="visually-hidden-focusable">ffoodd.fr</a> | |
| </div> |
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| /* | |
| Improved screen reader only CSS class | |
| @author Gaël Poupard | |
| @note Based on Yahoo!'s technique | |
| @author Thierry Koblentz | |
| @see https://www.cssmojo.com/hide-content-from-sighted-users/ | |
| * 1. | |
| @note Use to only display content when it's focused, or one of its child elements is focused | |
| @see http://www.w3.org/TR/2013/NOTE-WCAG20-TECHS-20130905/G1 | |
| @note Based on a HTML5 Boilerplate technique, included in Bootstrap | |
| * 2. | |
| @note `clip-path` shortest syntax | |
| @author Yvain Liechti | |
| @see https://twitter.com/ryuran78/status/778943389819604992 | |
| * 3. | |
| @note preventing text to be condensed | |
| author J. Renée Beach | |
| @see https://medium.com/@jessebeach/beware-smushed-off-screen-accessible-text-5952a4c2cbfe | |
| @note Drupal 8 goes with word-wrap: normal instead | |
| @see https://www.drupal.org/node/2045151 | |
| @see http://cgit.drupalcode.org/drupal/commit/?id=5b847ea | |
| * 4. | |
| @note !important is important | |
| @note Obviously you wanna hide something | |
| @author Harry Roberts | |
| @see https://csswizardry.com/2016/05/the-importance-of-important/ | |
| */ | |
| .visually-hidden, | |
| .visually-hidden-focusable:not(:focus, :focus-within) { | |
| border: 0 !important; | |
| clip-path: inset(50%) !important; /* 2 */ | |
| height: 1px !important; | |
| margin: -1px !important; | |
| overflow: hidden !important; | |
| padding: 0 !important; | |
| width: 1px !important; | |
| white-space: nowrap !important; /* 3 */ | |
| } | |
| /* | |
| Prevent visually hidden caption from breaking table's collapsing borders | |
| @author Louis-Maxime Piton | |
| @see https://github.com/twbs/bootstrap/pull/37533 | |
| */ | |
| .visually-hidden:not(caption), | |
| .visually-hidden-focusable:not(caption):not(:focus, :focus-within) { | |
| position: absolute !important; | |
| } | |
| /* | |
| Prevent overflowing children from being focusable. | |
| @author Django Janny | |
| @see https://github.com/twbs/bootstrap/pull/41286 | |
| */ | |
| .visually-hidden *, | |
| .visually-hidden-focusable:not(:focus, :focus-within) * { | |
| overflow: hidden !important; | |
| } |
I came to the same conclusion. Thanks !
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@keltroth If I sum this case up, since scrollable elements become focusable, any child in
. sr-onlythat'd become scrollable will also become focusable.I can't see any other workaround than yours, for now.
FWIW, as @thiemeljiri said,
.sr-onlyis usually used on text-level elements. Hiding complex content this way should be avoided.