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WeAreDevelopers LIVE • Nov 3, 2023

ARIA: the good parts

Hidde De Vries

Stop treating ARIA like an accessibility cure-all. It adds semantics, not behavior, so discover which attributes developers actually need to build truly inclusive interfaces.

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#1 about 6 min

Exploring the purpose and misconceptions of ARIA

Why ARIA alone does not guarantee a more accessible web experience.

#2 about 5 min

How diverse users and assistive technologies navigate the web

Understanding the variety of user settings and assistive tools interacting with web interfaces.

#3 about 5 min

ARIA as an ontology for accessibility meta information

How ARIA defines standardized semantics through roles, states, and properties.

#4 about 3 min

Evaluating the good parts of ARIA and essential caveats

Why ARIA must be combined with standard accessibility practices like keyboard support.

#5 about 3 min

Structuring web pages effectively using ARIA landmarks for navigation

Highlighting key page sections without overwhelming users navigating through screen readers.

#6 about 3 min

Exposing visual states with ARIA expanded and pressed

Implementing state attributes to programmatically indicate toggled elements and visual changes.

#7 about 4 min

Labeling elements safely with ARIA labels and descriptions

Providing contextual names for interactive elements without overriding visible text.

#8 about 4 min

Managing dynamic states, live updates, and hidden content

Using specific attributes to communicate active states, interface updates, and redundant elements.

#9 about 4 min

The complexities and risks of building ARIA widgets

Why interactive custom widgets require rigorous state management and keyboard accessibility.

#10 about 3 min

Common pitfalls and misunderstanding complex standard accessibility guidance

Differentiating normative accessibility standards from non-normative authoring practices and recommendations.

#11 about 8 min

Addressing common ARIA implementation pitfalls on individual websites

Avoiding state conflicts, disappearing focus, and the misuse of complex ARIA roles.

#12 about 1 min

Key takeaways for responsible ARIA implementation on interfaces

Summary of why developers should use ARIA carefully alongside native HTML elements.

#13 about 12 min

Answering questions on frameworks, translations, and standard adoption

Audience questions covering framework behaviors, localization limits, and native HTML features.

Matching moments

3:34 min

Enhancing screen reader support with ARIA design patterns

Konstantin Tieber · WWC 2022

6:16 min

Leveraging semantic HTML output tags and aria live regions

Chris Heilmann +2 · LIVE

4:46 min

Resolving default accessibility limitations in custom web components

Manuel Mauky · WWC 2023

5:26 min

Enhancing screen reader support with targeted ARIA attributes

Emma Dawson Emma Dawson · WWC 2025

2:18 min

Understanding aria toggle fields and missing accessible names

Julia Undeutsch Julia Undeutsch · Europe 2026 Virtual

1:38 min

Prioritizing semantic html over custom aria attribute implementations

Julia Undeutsch Julia Undeutsch · Europe 2026 Virtual

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