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Preserve a Meaningful Content Sequence

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Preserve a Meaningful Content Sequence

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When content order affects meaning, the DOM reading/navigation order must match the intended sequence. (WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.2)

Why This Matters

Screen reader and keyboard users encounter content in a jumbled order that no longer makes sense.

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Why this matters

Assistive tech reads content in DOM order, not visual order. If CSS (flex/grid order, absolute positioning) reorders elements visually but the DOM stays scrambled, the experience becomes incoherent for non-visual users.

Good: DOM order matches the logical reading order; use CSS for presentation only. Bad: relying on order: or floats to fix a DOM that reads out of sequence.