RE: proliferation of reference roles in the dpub aria spec.

Chaals McCathie Nevile wrote:
>
> If we're minting attribute values, it seems immaterial what the attribute
> is called. But using rel for purpose seems to make more sense than multiplying
> aria - especially while aria is still regarded by mainstream browsers as "I connect
> the aria to the thing in the accessibility API and then it's someone else's problem".

Hear, hear!

Recently I was involved in a long, protracted discussion regarding whether or not ARIA attributes (could/should/might/may/must-never) have an impact on the UI, with strong and loud responses from the browser vendors that ARIA is *JUST* for the Accessibility APIs.

At the risk of stating the obvious, not all people with disabilities use Assistive Technology that is dependent on the A-APIs, and I'd venture to guess that includes many with various types of cognitive disabilities. In fact, my casual reading of the emergent research/recommendations (etc.) coming from the COGA TF is that visual filtering or visual 're-purposing' content is one of the more important requirements - and that's UI changes which the browsers insist ARIA MUST not impact.

I love ARIA, and it has made the web significantly more accessible to the blind and low-vision communities, but I fear that with the current mind-set of how ARIA is to be used by mainstream browsers, it will remain a tool for those vision-disability communities only. While I am still on my first coffee, I cannot think of an ARIA attribute today that aids a person with mobility impairments, nor deafness/Hard-of-Hearing, nor, at this time, cognitive impairments.

Using (and if necessary 'strengthening') the @rel attribute avoids this ghetto-ization of accessibility accommodation, and I whole-heartedly support pursuing that path over a proliferation of new ARIA attributes.

JF
​-- 
John Foliot
Principal Accessibility Strategist
Deque Systems Inc.
john.foliot@deque.com

Advancing the mission of digital accessibility and inclusion

Received on Friday, 9 October 2015 14:00:31 UTC