Title: Accessibility issue on Cookie Policy: focusable control placed inside
Last modified: October 24, 2025

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# Accessibility issue on Cookie Policy: focusable control placed inside

 *  Resolved [germanils](https://wordpress.org/support/users/germanils/)
 * (@germanils)
 * [5 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/accessibility-issue-on-cookie-policy-focusable-control-placed-inside/)
 * Dear Complianz team,
 * I checked existing posts in this forum, but did not find the issue addressed 
   yet.
 * We’re seeing an accessibility error on the generated Cookie Policy document. 
   The checker (Eye-Able) reports: **“Element has hidden focusable child elements.”**
   The issue appears to be caused by a focusable checkbox rendered **inside** the
   clickable `<summary>` heading of each cookie category.
 * **Environment (high level):**
   – WordPress with GeneratePress (Pro) and WPML– 
   Complianz (Cookie Policy document generated by the plugin)– Issue occurs on the
   Cookie Policy page only (banner works as expected)
 * **Problematic markup (excerpt):**
 * `<summary> <span class="cmplz-category-header"> <span class="cmplz-category-title"
   >Statistics</span> <span class="cmplz-banner-checkbox"> <input type="checkbox"
   id="cmplz-statistics-optin" data-category="cmplz_statistics" class="cmplz-consent-
   checkbox cmplz-statistics" value="1"> <label class="cmplz-label" for="cmplz-statistics-
   optin"><span class="screen-reader-text">Statistics</span></label> </span> <span
   class="cmplz-icon cmplz-open">…</span> </span> </summary>`
 * **Why this is problematic**
   Placing an interactive, focusable control (the checkbox)
   inside the interactive disclosure control (`<summary>`) can create keyboard/focus
   issues and triggers the “hidden focusable child” finding. Screen readers and 
   keyboard users can encounter unexpected focus order or double activation areas.
   This pattern is generally discouraged for `<details>/<summary>`.
 * **WCAG reference**
   We believe this violates **WCAG 2.1 — Success Criterion 4.1.2(
   Name, Role, Value)**, because the nested interactive control inside `<summary
   >` makes the component roles and states ambiguous for assistive technologies.
   Reference: [https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.1&showtechniques=412#name-role-value](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.1&showtechniques=412#name-role-value)
 * **Expected behaviour**
   The disclosure header (`<summary>`) should not contain
   focusable children. The category checkbox should be rendered **outside** the `
   <summary>` (e.g., as a sibling immediately after it within the same `<details
   >` container) and positioned visually via CSS if needed.
 * **Steps to reproduce**
    1. Open the Complianz-generated Cookie Policy page.
    2. Run an accessibility checker (e.g., Eye-Able).
    3. The tool flags the `<summary>` that contains the consent checkbox.
 * **Request**
   Could you adjust the Cookie Policy template so that category consent
   checkboxes are rendered **outside** the `<summary>` element (e.g., directly after
   it within the same `<details>` block), preserving the current visual layout via
   CSS? This should eliminate the finding and improve keyboard/screen-reader behaviour
   without site-specific workarounds.
 * Many thanks!
 * Disclosure: I used ChatGPT to help me write this text since I’m not a native 
   English speaker and wanted to make sure te correct terminology was used
 * The page I need help with: _[[log in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.org%2Fsupport%2Ftopic%2Faccessibility-issue-on-cookie-policy-focusable-control-placed-inside%2F%3Foutput_format%3Dmd&locale=en_US)
   to see the link]_

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

 *  Plugin Support [Antonio Candela](https://wordpress.org/support/users/antoiub/)
 * (@antoiub)
 * [5 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/accessibility-issue-on-cookie-policy-focusable-control-placed-inside/#post-18694162)
 * Hi [@germanils](https://wordpress.org/support/users/germanils/) ,
 * Thank you for the thoughtful report and for referencing WCAG 2.1. I’ve forwarded
   your note to our development team.
 * We’re aware of the issues on the generated Cookie Policy and are actively improving
   accessibility release by release. Your suggestion is spot-on and will help us
   prioritize the next iteration.
 * Appreciate you taking the time to flag this, updates aimed into this will be 
   reflected in a future release.
   Best regards,Antonio
 *  [JIM Z](https://wordpress.org/support/users/aazgalerie/)
 * (@aazgalerie)
 * [5 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/accessibility-issue-on-cookie-policy-focusable-control-placed-inside/#post-18704151)
 * Hi Complianz team,
 * I just wanted to confirm that I’m experiencing the **same accessibility issue**
   described in this thread.
   In my case, the browser console shows the following
   warning:
 * > “An interactive element was found within a `<summary>` element. These elements
   > will not consistently be accessible to people navigating by keyboard or using
   > assistive technology.”
 * It seems to occur for the same reason mentioned above — the cookie category checkboxes
   are rendered inside the `<summary>` tag in the generated Cookie Policy markup.
 * **Environment:**
    - WordPress (latest version)
    - Complianz plugin (latest version)
    - Browser: Chrome (latest, macOS)
 * **Expected behavior:**
   Interactive elements such as checkboxes should be placed**
   outside the `<summary>`** tag to ensure proper accessibility and prevent console
   warnings.
 * Thank you for looking into this issue
 * Best,
   Jim
 *  Plugin Support [Antonio Candela](https://wordpress.org/support/users/antoiub/)
 * (@antoiub)
 * [5 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/accessibility-issue-on-cookie-policy-focusable-control-placed-inside/#post-18704640)
 * Hello [@aazgalerie](https://wordpress.org/support/users/aazgalerie/) ,
   I want
   to reassure you that the issue is already scheduled for a complete revamp.Best,
   Antonio
 *  Plugin Author [Aert](https://wordpress.org/support/users/aahulsebos/)
 * (@aahulsebos)
 * [1 month, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/accessibility-issue-on-cookie-policy-focusable-control-placed-inside/#post-18842943)
 * Update coming in 14 days.
   Please open a new thread to continue this support ticket.
   Thanks, Aert

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

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## Tags

 * [wcag](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/wcag/)

 * 4 replies
 * 4 participants
 * Last reply from: [Aert](https://wordpress.org/support/users/aahulsebos/)
 * Last activity: [1 month, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/accessibility-issue-on-cookie-policy-focusable-control-placed-inside/#post-18842943)
 * Status: resolved