Understanding SC 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context)
Purpose of each link can be determined from the link text alone or from the link text together with its programmatically determined link context, except where the purpose of the link would be ambiguous to users in general. (Level A)
The intent of this success criterion is to provide links that are clear & understood by all the users. Hyperlinks can be provided in multiple ways & each one of those must be clear to the users in their context.
Assistive technologies such as screen readers provide the list of links & users must be able to determine the purpose of the link just by reading the link text. Purpose of the link must be clear within its context & context refers to paragraph, sentence, table cell or a list item! Users can navigate
To any part of the web page & should be able to determine what the link is meant for by reading the link text or associating the link with the surrounding text.
Examples
This blog covers various topics related to digital accessibility.
The link blog is linked to a Wikipedia page and not clear for any user, let alone for assistive technology user & the link digital accessibility is clear with in its context.
