WAI-ARIA Overview (2024)

Introduction

WAI-ARIA, the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite, defines away to make Web content and Web applications more accessible to peoplewith disabilities. It especially helps with dynamic content and advanceduser interface controls developed with HTML, JavaScript, andrelated technologies. Without WAI-ARIA certain functionality used in Websites is not available to some users with disabilities, especiallypeople who rely on screen readers and people who cannot use a mouse.WAI-ARIA addresses these accessibility challenges, for example, bydefining ways for functionality to be provided to assistivetechnology. With WAI-ARIA, developers can make advanced Web applicationsaccessible and usable to people with disabilities.

This page describes the problems that WAI-ARIA addresses, and introducesthe WAI-ARIA suite of technical documents. Many of the terms used inthis page—including Web content, user agents, and assistivetechnology—are described in Introduction to WebAccessibility and Essential Componentsof Web Accessibility.

Technical Solutions

WAI-ARIA provides a framework for adding attributesto identify features for user interaction, how they relate to eachother, and their current state. WAI-ARIA describes navigationtechniques to mark regions and common Web structures as menus, primarycontent, secondary content, banner information, and other types of Webstructures. For example, with WAI-ARIA, developers can identify regionsof pages and enable keyboard users to easily move among regions, ratherthan having to press Tab many times.

WAI-ARIA also includes technologies to map controls, live regions,and events to accessibility application programming interfaces (APIs),including custom controls used for rich Internet applications. WAI-ARIAtechniques apply to widgets such as buttons, drop-down lists, calendarfunctions, tree controls (for example, expandable menus), and others.

Authoring Practices Guide (APG)

ARIA Authoring Practices Guide (APG), recommends approaches to help web application developers make widgets, navigation, and behaviors accessible using WAI-ARIA roles, states, and properties.

It describes considerations that might not be evident to most authors from the WAI-ARIA specification, which is oriented primarily at user agent implementers.

Versions

WAI-ARIA 1.2 was published as a completed W3C Recommendation on 6 June 2023.

WAI-ARIA 1.3 Draft is under development. Proposed changes from ARIA 1.2 include:

WAI-ARIA 1.2

The 1.2 version extends WAI-ARIA 1.1 to add a small number offeatures to the HTML + ARIA accessibility model. For 1.2, user agent implementation guidance is provided as a suite of accessibility API mapping specifications that describe how to expose semantics of WAI-ARIA and other web content languages to accessibility APIs.

Published WAI-ARIA Specifications are as follows:

WAI-ARIA 1.2 technical specification,provides features to define accessible user interface elements andin order to improve the accessibility and interoperability of webcontent and applications. It is primarily for developers of Webbrowsers, assistive technologies, and other user agents; developersof Web technologies (technical specifications); and developers ofaccessibility evaluation tools.
Core Accessibility API Mappings 1.2,describes how user agents should expose semantics of web contentlanguages to accessibility APIs. The core module defines supportthat applies across multiple content technologies, including generalkeyboard navigation support and mapping of general-purpose WAI-ARIAfeatures; other specifications will extend this for specifictechnologies.
Accessible Name and Description Computation 1.2, describes how user agents determinenames and descriptions of accessible objects from web contentlanguages and expose them in accessibility APIs. This allowsassistive technologies to associate and relay the name ordescription of objects to users.
HTML Accessibility API Mappings 1.0,defines how user agents map HTML elements and attributes to platform accessibility application programming interfaces (APIs). It leverages and extends the Core Accessibility API Mappings 1.2 and the Accessible Name and Description Computation 1.2 for use with the HTML host language. Documenting these mappings promotes interoperable exposure of roles, states, properties, and events implemented by accessibility APIs and helps to ensure that this information appears in a manner consistent with author intent.
SVG Accessibility API Mappings 1.0, extendsCore Accessibility API Mappings 1.2 to define how user agents mapSVG markup to platform accessibility application programminginterfaces (APIs). When supported by user agents, its features allowSVG authors to create accessible rich internet applications,including charts, graphs, and other drawings. Provides SVG-specificguidance for how the SVG user agent must respond to keyboard focus,native SVG features, and role, state and property attributesprovided via WAI-ARIA.

Additional documents are expected in this suite, including otheraccessibility API mappings and updated authoring guidance. Editors’drafts under development can be accessed in the WAI-ARIA GitHubRepositories.

W3C Recommendations and Working Group Notes are briefly explained inHow WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3CProcess, which also describes milestones in theW3C Process.

Technical document format

The WAI-ARIA documents follow the W3C format for technicalspecifications which includes several sections at the beginning: linksto different versions, editors, copyright, abstract, and status with thelink to errata and the email address for comments.

Who develops WAI-ARIA

The WAI-ARIA technical documents are developed by the Accessible RichInternet Applications Working Group (ARIA WG), which ispart of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web AccessibilityInitiative (WAI). For more information about the working group,see the ARIA WG public page.

How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process:Milestones and Opportunities to Contributedescribes formal periods for public review. Opportunities for review andcomment of WAI documents are announced on the WAI home page andWAI Interest Group mailing list. An email address forsending comments is included in the “Status of this Document” section.

Opportunities for contributing to WAI-ARIA and other WAI work areintroduced in Participating in WAI.

FAQs

What is the purpose of WAI-ARIA? ›

WAI-ARIA refers to the Web Accessibility Initiative – Accessible Rich Internet Applications. WAI-ARIA is a technical specification written by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The specification is most commonly used by developers to build interactive website content that is accessible to people with disabilities.

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What is the difference between WAI-ARIA and aria? ›

The acronyms stand for Web Accessibility Initiative, the W3C subgroup that developed the specification, and Accessible Rich Internet Applications, the specification itself. It is typically referred to as WAI-ARIA, rather than ARIA, to distinguish it from other uses of the acronym.

What is the first rule of aria? ›

The Rules of ARIA

First Rule of ARIA: Don't use ARIA. Well, actually, it says "if you can use a native HTML element or attribute... then do so." So, if you need a textbox, use an input, if you need a dropdown, use a select, if you need a button, use a button.

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What does the acronym aria stand for? ›

Overview. ARIA is a W3C specification that stands for “Accessible Rich Internet Applications.” It consists of markup that can be added to HTML in order to communicate the roles, states, and properties of user interface elements to assistive technologies (AT).

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What is the concept of ARIA? ›

In music, an aria (Italian: [ˈaːrja]; pl. : arie, Italian: [ˈaːrje]; arias in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, Italian: [aˈrjetta]; pl. : ariette; in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompaniment, normally part of a larger work.

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When to use ARIA? ›

According to the W3C, this is the first rule of ARIA use: "If you can use a native HTML element or attribute with the semantics and behavior you require already built in, instead of re-purposing an element and adding an ARIA role, state or property to make it accessible, then do so.”

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What are the three types of ARIA attributes? ›

The aria-valuenow, aria-valuemin, and aria-valuemax attributes convey the current value, minimum value, and maximum value of the slider, respectively. Without these attributes, the user might not understand how to use the element.

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What is the goal of wai? ›

The WAI's goal is “to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities,” including users with auditory, cognitive, physical, speech, and visual impairments.

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What is the significance of wai in Thailand? ›

A wai indicates the level of respect for another person and is an acknowledgement of seniority. A person should bow their head with their palms pressed together to indicate respect.

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What is the purpose of the ARIA attribute? ›

ARIA is shorthand for Accessible Rich Internet Applications. ARIA is a set of attributes you can add to HTML elements that define ways to make web content and applications accessible to users with disabilities who use assistive technologies (AT).

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What do Landmark WAI-ARIA roles define? ›

ARIA landmarks allow you to define key sections of a web page using code in a way that helps people using assistive technologies – such as screen reading technology.

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