RE: aria-ISSUE-1028 (SeparatorNotWidget): Separator is a structure but the description says it can be interactive [ARIA 1.1]

Joanie, without a widget role, there's no way to distinguish between an interactive separator where keys must be passed through and a horizontal rule.

This is just like the difference between a table and a grid or a tree and a list.

And, as in those other cases, there are many side effects of attempting to use a property to distinguish between a widget and a structure. That Is why we added the table role instead of adding something like aria-interactive=false to grid.

Matt

-----Original Message-----
From: Joanmarie Diggs [mailto:jdiggs@igalia.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2016 3:19 PM
To: Matt King <a11ythinker@gmail.com>
Cc: public-aria@w3.org
Subject: Re: aria-ISSUE-1028 (SeparatorNotWidget): Separator is a structure but the description says it can be interactive [ARIA 1.1]

In the message below, I mean the addition of a *splitter* role.
Apologies for the noise/spam.

--joanie

On 05/18/2016 06:10 PM, Joanmarie Diggs wrote:
> Hey Matt, all.
> 
> I'm not opposed to the addition of a "separator" role and the problem 
> you outline here does indeed sound like a problem. That said, to play 
> devil's advocate, do we need a new role to solve this?
> 
> If authors MUST make interactive separators keyboard focusable via 
> setting the tabindex, and the Core AAM maps focusable separators to 
> each platform's splitter role, then it should be operable with screen 
> readers. Furthermore, existing web apps which use role separator 
> combined with a tabindex could become screen-reader-operable without 
> the author having to change anything.
> 
> --joanie
> 
> On 05/18/2016 04:45 PM, Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working 
> Group Issue Tracker wrote:
>> aria-ISSUE-1028 (SeparatorNotWidget): Separator is a structure but 
>> the description says it can be interactive [ARIA 1.1]
>>
>> http://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/track/issues/1028
>>
>> Raised by: Matthew King
>> On product: ARIA 1.1
>>
>> The separator role is a structure. Screen readers render elements with role separator in the same way that the HTML HR element is rendered. Thus, screen readers regard separators as static, not interactive. 
>>
>> Yet, the description of the separator role says that a separator may be a movable splitter that divides parts of a window. So, the APG Window splitter pattern states that the separator role should be used for an interactive window splitter.
>>
>> Obviously, If you make a focusable, interactive window splitter and give it the separator role, it will not be operable with screen readers because they will not recognize a separator as interactive and neding to consume keys like arrows, home, and end.
>>
>> The superclass of separator can not be change to be a widget without breaking its ability to serve as an equivalent to HR. the widget role can not be added as a second superclass because there would not be a way for assistive technologies to discern if the element is a separator or a splitter.
>>
>> Proposal:
>> 1. Remove language about interaction from the separator role.
>> 2. Add a splitter role that is a widget.
>>
>>
>>
>>
> 
> 
>

Received on Wednesday, 18 May 2016 23:48:00 UTC