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Flashing

Flashing is generally a bad idea. It can cause all sorts of issues, from seizures to motion sickness. If you absolutely must have a flashing element there are a few things to consider.

Testing

  • Failure at any step constitutes a 508 compliance issue
  1. Look for elements that contain flashing
    • Scrolling or blinking text
    • Scrolling or blinking page elements
    • Videos that contain flickering or flashing
    • GIFs that contain flickering or flashing
  2. Check if you can determine the frequency of "flashing."
  3. Check that the rate of flashing is less than 3 Hz (3 times a second), or scroll delay is set to >= 400.

Examples

Fails

Failure: This blinking text fails because the rate of flashing can't be determined and its greater than 3 Hz.

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