[Bug 13265] Should disallow <a> elements to be made into buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, tabs, or tree items, since those are all semantic abuse

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=13265

Ian 'Hixie' Hickson <ian@hixie.ch> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Resolution|WONTFIX                     |FIXED

--- Comment #3 from Ian 'Hixie' Hickson <ian@hixie.ch> 2011-10-02 05:12:27 UTC ---
That isn't the point of ARIA. ARIA is primarily for developers creating custom
widgets and other web application components. It allows authors to provide
accessibility hooks for ATs in cases where the user agent would otherwise have
nothing useful to provide. It is not intended for use by authors who are trying
to convey the very semantics that HTML can already convey.

In any case, having an AT label a link as being a button actually hurts
accessibility, it doesn't improve it, as it makes it impossible for the user to
understand instructions. For example, if they visit a page that has a link
labeled as role=button, and they read instructions telling them to click on the
link, they would not be able to find it, as they would be looking for a link
and not a button. Similarly, labeling an interactive control such as a link as
being a tree item would harm accessibility, as it would hide from the user the
fact that the link could be activated and followed.

Ergo, I am reopening this bug.

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Status: Partially Accepted
Change Description: see diff given below
Rationale: However, the initial request is not entirely correct either. It
does, to some extent, make sense for links to be used as tabs. So I've left
that as conforming.

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Received on Sunday, 2 October 2011 05:12:38 UTC