- From: Steven Faulkner <faulkner.steve@gmail.com>
- Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:17:10 +0200
- To: HTMLWG WG <public-html@w3.org>, W3C WAI-XTECH <wai-xtech@w3.org>
- Message-ID: <55687cf80910210017t62dba1ct1f08566676347e2f@mail.gmail.com>
Currently the a element is defined in the HTML5 specification as an element that cannot have its native role overriden by ARIA roles [1] This is contrary to use in the wild as it has been overriden by the addition of a number of roles in popular javascript UI libraries. Examples: button http://jqueryui.com/demos/dialog/ http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/examples/carousel/carousel-ariaplugin_source.html tab http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/examples/tabview/tabview-ariaplugin_clean.html menutiem http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/examples/menu/menuwaiaria_source.html It is important to understand that it is not ARIA that is making the link into a button, its the developers use of javascript, event handlers and CSS that is making it look and act like a button or tab or menutiem. The addition of ARIA is merely providing the information that other users get by default. So making the addition of an ARIA role non conforming, to an element that has been designed to act and look like something other than its native role, is not the appropriate repsonse. The reasons for creating ARIA centered around the inability of the HTML specification to address how author would create content. In fact, with the exception of forms, it was assumed that HTML would only be used for documents. Clearly, that was a miscalculation. It is essential that authors be given the tools to produce accessible applications. The perception, by some, is that ARIA is meant to circumvent the semantics of the host language, but rather it is the author that is circumventing the host language to create UI controls that satisfy their needs. WAI-ARIA simply provides the semantics to make them interoperabile with assistive technologies. NOTE: there are 60+ more elements that have prohibitions placed on the addition of ARIA roles, so this is but one example of what has to be reviewed and bugs entered for in the HTML WG bug tracker where necessary. I suggest this is one of the tasks that the accessibility taskforce should undertake. [1] http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/embedded-content-0.html#annotations-for-assistive-technology-products-aria -- with regards Steve Faulkner Technical Director - TPG Europe Director - Web Accessibility Tools Consortium www.paciellogroup.com | www.wat-c.org Web Accessibility Toolbar - http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/wat-ie-about.html
Received on Wednesday, 21 October 2009 07:25:19 UTC