Setting up Home Assistant is made much harder by the fact that so many things are missing a <title> tag. All the Settings have the same title, a tab from the Home Assistant blog and the Add-ons page look identical. Etc…
exactly, all of these are different pages within the “Settings” menu, integrations, entities, devices, dashboards, automations and they all have the same title.
As a screen reader user (NVDA and Google TalkBack), I fully support this WTH. The lack of proper page semantics, missing <title> tags, and absence of proper heading structure (H1-H6) in many areas of Home Assistant significantly impacts usability and accessibility for users who rely on assistive technologies.
Currently, many core pages in Home Assistant have two major accessibility issues:
Missing or inadequate <title> tags, which are crucial for:
Identifying pages in browser tabs
Providing context when switching between windows/tabs
Helping screen reader users understand which page they’re currently on
Supporting proper browser history navigation
Lack of proper heading structure:
Main pages (e.g., Settings, Automations) should have H1 headings that clearly define the page context
Sections within a page (e.g., categories like Automations, Scripts, Scenes, and Helpers under “Automations & Scenes”) should have H2 headings to help organize the content hierarchically
Without these semantic structures, navigating through the system becomes cumbersome for screen reader users, as there’s no logical way to jump between sections or understand the layout at a glance.
From an accessibility perspective, implementing proper page titles, headings, and semantic structure aligns with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, specifically:
WCAG 2.4.2 Page Titled: Web pages must have titles that describe their topic or purpose
WCAG 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks: Providing mechanisms to bypass blocks of content, such as consistent heading structures
WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships: Ensuring the information and structure conveyed visually is also programmatically determinable
WCAG 2.4.6 Headings and Labels: Using descriptive headings to organize content
WCAG 2.4.10 Section Headings: Using section headings to organize content (Level AAA)
Implementing these changes would not only improve accessibility but also enhance usability for everyone, as a well-structured interface benefits all users by making content easier to scan and interact with.
I hope this feedback highlights the importance of addressing this issue and helps drive improvements in Home Assistant’s accessibility. If there’s a need for more detailed input or testing, I’d be happy to assist!
I didn’t even suspect that HA is usable with a screen reader at all. The UI is sometimes hard to use for users which good sight and full motoric abilities.
I gues that being colour blinded alone makes you at times wonder what is going on in the UI. WCAG 1.4.1 Use of color: Color is not used as the only visual means of conveying information