Re: ARIA roles added to the a element should be conforming in HTML5.

I have added this issue as a bug on the HTML WG bugzilla:

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=8000

2009/10/21 Steven Faulkner <faulkner.steve@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
>



-- 
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