RE: Significant ambiguities in aria-roledescription

Jason,

 

Matt wrote:

><img role="none" aria-roledescription="Gotch ya">

><table role="none" aria-roledescription="layout table">

>What would end up in the AX tree? What should a screen reader say?

Jason wrote:

>This is indicative of an author error. 

>I think the tree should always reflect the value of the role attribute.

 

I agree that is probably reasonable, but our current spec language doesn't
lean in that direction.

 

Given this language.

"User agents must not expose the aria-roledescription property if any of the
following conditions exist.

1. The element to which aria-roledescription is applied does not have a
valid WAI-ARIA role or does not have an implicit WAI-ARIA role semantic.

."

 

Is role="none" a valid ARIA role?

 

And this authoring requirement:

 

"When using aria-roledescription, authors should also ensure that:

1.       The element to which aria-roledescription is applied has a valid
WAI-ARIA role or has an implicit WAI-ARIA role semantic.

."

 

Should authors think of role="none" as valid?

 

Matt

 

From: White, Jason J [mailto:jjwhite@ets.org] 
Sent: Thursday, July 7, 2016 5:59 AM
To: Matt King <a11ythinker@gmail.com>; ARIA Working Group
<public-aria@w3.org>
Subject: RE: Significant ambiguities in aria-roledescription

 

 

 

From: Matt King [mailto:a11ythinker@gmail.com] 
Sent: Thursday, July 7, 2016 4:18 AM

Ambiguity #1: role none with a role description:

<img role="none" aria-roledescription="Gotch ya">

<table role="none" aria-roledescription="layout table">

 

What would end up in the AX tree? What should a screen reader say?

[Jason] This is indicative of an author error. I think the tree should
always reflect the value of the role attribute.

 

Ambiguity 2:  role description on an element whose role is normally
suppressed by screen readers:

<ul>

<li aria-roledescription="fruit">Apple</li>

<li aria-roledescription="fruit">Banana</li>

<li aria-roledescription="fruit">Orange </li>

</ul>

 

Should screen readers be expected to announce each list item as a fruit? Or,
should the screen reader be able to use normal processing for the listitem
role and not speak the role description?

[Jason] Given that the author specified aria-roledescription, most likely
for a legitimate reason, it should be honored in this case. However, it
shouldn't override the implications of the actual role as given in the role
attribute, which is why role="none" should be respected in the content of
the accessibility tree.

 

 

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