ARIA

ARIAARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) is a standard that provides roles and attributes to make web content more accessible to assistive technologies when native HTML alone is not enough.Open glossary entry → extends HTMLHyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the markup language for web pages. It defines the structure and content of a page, such as headings, paragraphs, links and images.Open glossary entry → with roles and attributes (such as role or aria-label) that give assistive technologies extra information. It is most useful for complex components that have no suitable native element, for example:

• tabs,
• modals and dialogs,
• accordions and dynamic menus.

The first rule of ARIA, however, is: if a native HTML element already provides the required meaning and behaviour, use it instead of rebuilding it with ARIA. In short: native HTML first, then ARIA.

Many ARIA declarations are also redundant. A <nav> already has its role implicitly, so an additional role="navigation" is usually unnecessary. When ARIA is used, keyboard operation and focus management must be implemented correctly as well.