How can you visually hide an element but keep it accessible for screen readers?

To visually hide an element while keeping it accessible for screen readers, the most effective technique is to use position: absolute combined with off-screen positioning. This approach allows the element to be removed from the visual flow of the page, thus preventing it from being seen by sighted users, while still being present in the document structure for assistive technologies. Screen readers can still access the content because it has not been deleted from the DOM—it is simply positioned outside the viewport.

In contrast, using display: none removes the element entirely from the document flow, which means it will not be available to screen readers. Similarly, visibility: hidden will hide the element visually but still occupies space in the layout and can often lead to confusion for users relying on assistive technologies, as they might still receive information about its size and position. Lastly, opacity: 0 makes the element completely transparent but does not remove it from the document flow and may not always provide the desired accessibility for screen reader users. Overall, positioning an element off-screen is the best choice for maintaining accessibility while keeping it visually hidden.