1.3.4 Orientation (Level AA) — WCAG 2.1
WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.3.4 Orientation (Level AA): what it requires, a common e-commerce accessibility failure, and how to fix it.
This is educational technical reference content, not legal advice. It explains what WCAG 2.1 requires and how to meet it — not whether a specific site carries legal risk. Compliance with WCAG, the ADA, or any other accessibility law or standard is a legal determination; consult qualified counsel for legal risk assessment.
WCAG 2.1 guidelines hub → Perceivable → 1.3.4 Orientation
1.3.4 Orientation (Level AA)
What it requires: Content shouldn’t be locked to portrait or landscape orientation unless that specific orientation is essential to the content (e.g., a piano-tuning app, a check-deposit camera view).
Common failure: A mobile checkout flow force-locks to portrait via CSS or a viewport meta trick, breaking for a user whose device or mount is fixed in landscape (common for some motor-impairment assistive setups).
Fix it: Don’t lock orientation in CSS or JavaScript. Design responsively for both orientations unless there’s a genuine, content-driven reason not to.
In 1.3 Adaptable: ← 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics · 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose →
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This is educational technical reference content, not legal advice. It explains what WCAG 2.1 requires and how to meet it — not whether a specific site carries legal risk. Compliance with WCAG, the ADA, or any other accessibility law or standard is a legal determination; consult qualified counsel for legal risk assessment.
This page was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by a person for accuracy before publication.