ARIAroolit

ARIAroolit are the set of roles defined by the WAI-ARIA specification used to describe the purpose and behavior of elements to assistive technologies. In web accessibility, ARIAroolit help convey semantics when native HTML elements are insufficient or when custom widgets are created.

WAI-ARIA, maintained by the W3C, extends HTML with a role attribute and related properties to support dynamic content, widgets, and complex interfaces. ARIAroolit are a key part of this system, complementing native semantics rather than replacing them.

Practically, developers apply the role attribute to elements, for example: div role="navigation" to label a region as navigation, or div role="button" to indicate a clickable control that behaves like a button. ARIA roles often pair with properties such as aria-label, aria-expanded, or aria-checked to convey state.

Guidelines: Prefer native elements with implicit semantics; use ARIAroolit only when no suitable HTML element exists or when semantics cannot be conveyed otherwise. Ensure the role matches the element’s behavior and test with assistive technologies across devices.

Common landmark roles include banner, navigation, main, contentinfo, and complementary. Widget roles include button, checkbox, radio, slider, spinbutton, and textbox. These roles help accessibility technologies users navigate content and understand interactive components.

Limitations: ARIA roles are only partially supported by some assistive technologies and browsers. Misusing roles can mislead users. Best practice is to rely on native semantics and use ARIAroolit to augment, followed by testing with assistive technologies.