Avoid auto-refreshing pages |
WAI / WCAG 1.0 Priority 2 checkpoint 7.4
Issue Description The page is automatically updated after a given time. It is best to remove this behavior.
How to fix Until browsers will allow users to turn off these automatically updating features, do not use auto-refresh or auto-redirect. Try to achieve a similar effect by specifying cache expiration dates and by appropriately configuring the web server. This would not affect the accessibility of the pages because they would change only as an effect of the user explicitly reloading the page on the browser.
Issue Explanation Pages that are automatically updated may pose significant problems to users who are disabled or who use technology that hinders normal interaction patterns. For example, screen readers might not be working properly when the page updates, or people with physical disabilities might not be able to move quickly or accurately through the page content and navigation items. Users without disabilities may also face problems if, for various reasons, they are slow in reading the page; for example if they use a very slow Internet connection, or if they use a small screen that forces them to slow down the reading pace.

Until browsers will allow users to turn off these automatically updating features, do not use auto-refresh.