WAI-ARIA: Accessibility Standard for Active Internet Applications
The WAI-ARIA (Web Accessibility Initiative - Accessible Rich Internet Applications) is a standard for the accessibility of active Internet applications that defines approaches to making the content of websites and Internet applications more accessible to people with disabilities. This article describes the problems that the WAI-ARIA standard is about to solve, and also introduces the WAI-ARIA technical documentation package. The terminology used is described in the article “Content availability standard WAI-WCAG 1.0” previously published in the Habré .
The application of the standard is especially effective for sites with dynamic content and advanced user interface controls developed using Ajax, HTML, JavaScript, and related technologies. Currently, some of the functionality of websites is not available for some users with disabilities, especially for people who rely on programs that are read from the screen and for those who cannot use the mouse. WAI-ARIA is setting new ways to provide functionality with helpers. With the help of WAI-ARIA, developers can create progressive web applications that are accessible and convenient for all users.
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Another example of a barrier to the normal use of the site’s capabilities is the drag & drop technique, which is inaccessible to users who cannot control a mouse that has only a keyboard. Even relatively simple sites can be difficult to use if they require a huge amount of keystrokes when operating with just one keyboard.
Many Internet applications developed using Ajax (also known as AJAX), DHTML and other technologies create additional problems of access to information. For example, if the content of a page changes in response to user actions, after a certain time or due to sudden updates, this new content may not be available to people using screen readers — blind or people with cognitive impairment.
The WAI-ARIA standard allows you to solve these access problems by setting ways to make all the necessary information about the site's work available to assistant programs. With the help of the standard, even complex Internet applications can be made accessible and convenient for people with disabilities.
WAI-ARIA includes technologies for identifying controls, active AJAX areas, events, and home-made controls. Techniques WAI-ARIA applicable to buttons, drop-down lists, calendars, tree elements, etc.
Standard WAI-ARIA provides authors sites:
The package of documents of the WAI-ARIA standard, which is today in draft form, contains the following documents (in English):
Crosspost: Introduction to WAI-ARIA: Accessibility Standard for Active Internet Applications
Original in English
The application of the standard is especially effective for sites with dynamic content and advanced user interface controls developed using Ajax, HTML, JavaScript, and related technologies. Currently, some of the functionality of websites is not available for some users with disabilities, especially for people who rely on programs that are read from the screen and for those who cannot use the mouse. WAI-ARIA is setting new ways to provide functionality with helpers. With the help of WAI-ARIA, developers can create progressive web applications that are accessible and convenient for all users.
How to make Ajax and related technologies available?
More and more sites on the Internet are using sophisticated and advanced systems to manage the page, such as tree-like Javascript menus. To provide access for people with physical disabilities, special browsers and helper technologies need to interact with these management systems, but the information that is required for this is not available on most existing sites today.')
Another example of a barrier to the normal use of the site’s capabilities is the drag & drop technique, which is inaccessible to users who cannot control a mouse that has only a keyboard. Even relatively simple sites can be difficult to use if they require a huge amount of keystrokes when operating with just one keyboard.
Many Internet applications developed using Ajax (also known as AJAX), DHTML and other technologies create additional problems of access to information. For example, if the content of a page changes in response to user actions, after a certain time or due to sudden updates, this new content may not be available to people using screen readers — blind or people with cognitive impairment.
The WAI-ARIA standard allows you to solve these access problems by setting ways to make all the necessary information about the site's work available to assistant programs. With the help of the standard, even complex Internet applications can be made accessible and convenient for people with disabilities.
Technical solutions
Consider the principle of operation of the standard WAI-ARIA more specifically. The WAI ‑ ARIA standard defines a set of HTML attributes that allow you to identify functions that interact with the user, to establish their relationship and current location. The standard describes new navigation techniques for highlighting areas and main elements of the site structure, such as menus, main content, secondary content, information about banners. For example, using WAI-ARIA, developers can designate areas on pages, allowing users to easily navigate between areas using the keyboard without having to press the Tab key repeatedly.WAI-ARIA includes technologies for identifying controls, active AJAX areas, events, and home-made controls. Techniques WAI-ARIA applicable to buttons, drop-down lists, calendars, tree elements, etc.
Standard WAI-ARIA provides authors sites:
- Roles for describing the type of active element, for example: "menu," "treeitem," "slider," and "progressmeter". For example <div role = "checkbox">
- Roles for describing page structure, for example: headers, areas, and tables.
- Attributes to describe the state in which the control is located, such as “checked” for the checkbox and “haspopup” for the menu.
- Attributes to specify active areas of the page that allow updates (for example, stock quotes), as well as the way in which these updates appear. For example, important updates may appear in a dialog box, while minor ones may appear directly on the page.
- Attributes for dragging and dropping objects, describing the transferred resources and target locations in the document. The ability to control the keyboard objects and events.
<span role="checkbox" aria-checked="mixed"
onkeydown="return checkBoxEvent(event);"
onclick="return checkBoxEvent(event);" >
A checkbox label
</span>WAI-ARIA documents
WAI-ARIA technical documents were developed by the PFWG (Protocols and Formats Working Group) , which is part of the World Wide Web Consortium Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C-WAI).The package of documents of the WAI-ARIA standard, which is today in draft form, contains the following documents (in English):
- Technical description of the standard WAI-ARIA 1.0.
- Tutorial WAI-ARIA for beginners.
- Practical advice on the use of WAI-ARIA
- WAI-ARIA Development Plan
Crosspost: Introduction to WAI-ARIA: Accessibility Standard for Active Internet Applications
Original in English
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/40730/
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