How to fix aria hidden focus on BigCommerce

Steps for BigCommerce

1. Log in to your BigCommerce control panel and go to Storefront → My Themes → click Customize on your active theme to open Stencil.
2. In the theme editor, use the 'Edit Theme Files' option (or download your theme via the BigCommerce CLI for local editing) and search all template files (.html) and JavaScript files for 'aria-hidden'.
3. Common offenders in BigCommerce Cornerstone themes: the mobile navigation drawer (templates/components/common/mobile-menu.html and assets/js/theme/global/mobile-menu-toggle.js) and the quick-view modal.
4. In the relevant JavaScript file that toggles the drawer or modal open/closed, add logic so that when the panel closes: container gets aria-hidden='true' AND all focusable children get tabindex='-1'; when it opens: remove aria-hidden and remove tabindex='-1'.
5. Upload the corrected theme files or push via CLI (stencil push), then test with axe DevTools on your storefront preview.

What is aria hidden focus?

The `aria-hidden="true"` attribute tells screen readers to completely ignore an element and everything inside it — as if it doesn't exist. The problem arises when a focusable element (a button, link, or form field) lives inside that hidden container. Keyboard users can still tab into it, but screen-reader users hear nothing because the element has been silenced. This creates a "ghost focus" trap: the keyboard cursor lands on something invisible to assistive technology with no announcement, no label, and no way to understand what it does. WCAG Success Criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value) requires that all interactive UI components expose their name and role to assistive technology.

Screen-reader users — who are often blind or have low vision — can get stuck on focusable elements that their software cannot describe, making parts of your store completely unusable for them. This is a direct WCAG 2.1 Level A violation, the most severe tier, meaning it fails the baseline legal accessibility standard referenced in regulations like the ADA (US), EN 301 549 (EU), and the European Accessibility Act. Beyond legal risk, stores with accessibility barriers lose customers: roughly 1 in 4 adults has some disability, and inaccessible checkout flows directly reduce conversions. Automated accessibility tools (axe, Lighthouse, WAVE) flag this as a critical failure, which can surface in legal demand letters and audits.

See the complete Aria hidden focus guide for every platform and the full background.