WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.5.1, Pointer Gestures, is a Level A requirement: multipoint and path gestures have a single-pointer alternative.
Read the criterion in the W3C Recommendation, WCAG 2.2 (opens in a new tab).
How BearScan checks it
Multipoint and path gestures have a single-pointer alternative
Checked automatically: clicks through the page. Severity: medium. Users with a head pointer, mouth stick or tremor cannot pinch or swipe along a path. If that is the only way, the function is unavailable to them.
An approximation: The page's own touch and pointer-move handlers are recorded as it loads, and up to eight elements that have them (plus known carousel and map libraries, canvases and elements with a touch-action) get a real one-finger swipe and a two-finger pinch at their centre through the browser's touch input; one covered at its centre by something else (a canvas drawn behind a hero's text) is left out, since the gesture would land on what covers it. Where the widget responds (its text, address or pixels change), the buttons and links in or beside it are put to a decisions model (TypeSafe's Jev) for whether one does the same with a click, such as next and previous or zoom in and out: none, with 80% certainty, fails. Handlers attached to the document itself, widgets that respond only to a longer gesture, and a gesture the page reads from raw coordinates without changing anything visible are not found.
How to fix it. Pair every pinch, multi-finger or swipe gesture with buttons that do the same thing with a single tap, such as zoom buttons on a map or previous and next arrows on a carousel.
All WCAG 2.2 criteria · Next: 2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation
Questions
Is WCAG 2.5.1 required by the ADA?
The ADA doesn't name a technical standard for businesses, but the Justice Department's 2022 guidance points businesses to WCAG, and its 2024 rule for state and local governments adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA, which includes 2.5.1.
Can an automated tool check WCAG 2.5.1?
Mostly. BearScan checks it automatically (clicks through the page). A clean result still isn't proof every page passes, only the pages scanned.
How do I fix a WCAG 2.5.1 failure?
Pair every pinch, multi-finger or swipe gesture with buttons that do the same thing with a single tap, such as zoom buttons on a map or previous and next arrows on a carousel.