ARIA role
AccessibilityDefined term
A role tells the accessibility tree what an element is: button, dialog, navigation, tablist. Native HTML elements carry implicit roles; the WAI-ARIA specification's role attribute assigns them where native semantics are missing or insufficient.
A role is a claim, not an implementation. role="button" announces button behavior but adds no keyboard handling, which is why the first rule of ARIA use is to prefer native elements, and why a wrong role is routinely worse than none.
Deep dive: full analysis with this mechanism →
Browse the glossary
Accessibility6 of 28 terms
- Accessibility treeThe parallel structure a browser derives from DOM, CSS, and ARIA that assistive technology actually reads.Accessibility
- Accessible nameThe single text label assistive technology announces for an element, computed by a W3C-specified algorithm.Accessibility
- Focus orderThe sequence keyboard focus follows through interactive elements — WCAG requires it to preserve meaning and operability.Accessibility
- ARIA roleThe WAI-ARIA attribute that declares what an element is to assistive technology — a promise of behavior, not a behavior.Accessibility
- Assistive technology (AT)Software and hardware — screen readers, magnifiers, switch devices — that consume the accessibility tree to operate interfaces.Accessibility
- Contrast ratio⦿ liveThe WCAG-defined luminance ratio between text and background: 4.5:1 minimum for body text at level AA.Accessibility