Introduction

This tutorial aims to familiarize you with the common ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) patterns that web developers use to create accessible widgets. By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to implement these patterns and understand their implications for accessibility.

You will learn:

• The basics of ARIA
• Common ARIA patterns
• How to implement these patterns

Prerequisites:

• Basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Familiarity with web accessibility concepts

Step-by-Step Guide

ARIA provides a way to make web content and web applications more accessible to people with disabilities. Here are some of the most common ARIA patterns:

ARIA Roles

ARIA roles provide information about what an element does. For example, a button role indicates that the element is a button.

<div role="button">Click me</div>

ARIA Properties

ARIA properties describe the state, properties, and values of an element. For example, aria-disabled="true" tells assistive technologies that the element is currently disabled.

<button aria-disabled="true">Disabled Button</button>

ARIA Labels

ARIA labels provide additional information or context to an element. For example, aria-label="Close" gives a clear and succinct description of the button's function.

<button aria-label="Close">X</button>

Code Examples

Let's look at some practical examples:

Example 1: Button with ARIA role and label

<div role="button" aria-label="Submit">Submit</div>

In this example, we have a div that acts as a button. The role attribute tells assistive technologies that this div is a button, and the aria-label provides a clear description of the button's function.

Example 2: Disabled input with ARIA property

<input type="text" aria-disabled="true">

Here, we have an input field that is disabled. The aria-disabled attribute communicates this state to assistive technologies.

Summary

In this tutorial, we covered the basics of ARIA, including roles, properties, and labels. We also looked at how to implement these patterns in your web applications.

Next, try creating your own accessible widgets using ARIA. You can also delve deeper into more complex ARIA patterns.

Resources:
- ARIA in HTML
- Using ARIA

Practice Exercises

1. Create a div that acts as a checkbox. Use ARIA roles and properties to communicate its state (checked or unchecked).

2. Create a navigation menu using ARIA roles and labels.

Solutions

1. Checkbox:

<div role="checkbox" aria-checked="false">Item</div>

Here, the role attribute tells assistive technologies that this div is a checkbox, and the aria-checked property communicates its state.

1. Navigation menu:

<nav aria-label="Main">
  <a href="#">Home</a>
  <a href="#">About</a>
  <a href="#">Contact</a>
</nav>

In this example, the nav element has an aria-label that provides a clear description of the menu.