Copyright © 2015-2021 W3C ® ( MIT , ERCIM , Keio , Beihang ). W3C liability , trademark and permissive document license rules apply.
HTML Accessibility API Mappings ( HTML -AAM) defines how user agents map HTML [ HTML ] elements and attributes to platform accessibility application programming interfaces ( APIs ) . It leverages and extends the Core Accessibility API Mappings 1.2 and the Accessible Name and Description Computation 1.1 for use with the HTML host language. Documenting these mappings promotes interoperable exposure of roles, states, properties, and events implemented by accessibility APIs and helps to ensure that this information appears in a manner consistent with author intent.
The HTML -AAM is part of the WAI-ARIA suite described in the WAI-ARIA Overview .
This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. A list of current W3C publications and the latest revision of this technical report can be found in the W3C technical reports index at https://www.w3.org/TR/.
This document is subject to change without notice.
This document was initially developed by and with the approval of the HTML Accessibility Taskforce , a joint task force of the Protocols and Formats Working Group and the HTML Working Group . Work continued with the successor groups Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group and the Web Applications Working Group . This document is now maintained solely by the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group .
This document was published by the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group as an Editor's Draft.
GitHub Issues are preferred for discussion of this specification.
Publication as an Editor's Draft does not imply endorsement by the W3C Membership.
This is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to cite this document as other than work in progress.
This document was produced by a group operating under the 1 August 2017 W3C Patent Policy . W3C maintains a public list of any patent disclosures made in connection with the deliverables of the group; that page also includes instructions for disclosing a patent. An individual who has actual knowledge of a patent which the individual believes contains Essential Claim(s) must disclose the information in accordance with section 6 of the W3C Patent Policy .
This document is governed by the 15 September 2020 W3C Process Document .
This section is non-normative.
This specification defines how HTML user agents respond to and expose role , state and property information provided for Web content. Unless indicated otherwise, an HTML element or attribute with default Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) 1.0 semantics must be exposed to the platform accessibility APIs according to the relevant WAI-ARIA mappings defined in the Core Accessibility API Mappings 1.2 ([ core-aam-1.2 ]) specification.
In some cases, often due to features of the HTML host language or the accessibility API in question, an element or attribute's mapping differs from the corresponding ARIA mappings specified in the [ core-aam-1.2 ]. Where an HTML element or attribute does not have any default WAI-ARIA semantics, the applicable mapping for each platform accessibility API is defined by this specification.
This document also adapts the Accessible Name and Description Computation 1.1 ([ accname-1.1 ]) for deriving the accessible names and accessible descriptions of [ HTML ] elements, and provides accessible implementation examples for specific HTML elements and features.
Users often access HTML content using assistive technologies that rely on platform accessibility API to obtain and interact with information from the page. This document is part of the following suite of accessibility API mapping specifications for content rendered by user agents:
Accessibility APIs covered by this document are:
If user agent developers need to expose information using other accessibility APIs , it is recommended that they work closely with the developer of the platform where the API runs, and assistive technology developers on that platform.
For more information regarding accessibility APIs , refer to section 1.1 Accessibility APIs of the Core Accessibility API Mappings 1.2 .
As well as sections marked as non-normative, all authoring guidelines, diagrams, examples, and notes in this specification are non-normative. Everything else in this specification is normative.
The key words MAY , MUST , and MUST NOT in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [ RFC2119 ] [ RFC8174 ] when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.
The classification of a section as normative or non-normative applies to the entire section and all sub-sections of that section.
Normative sections provide requirements that authors, user agents, and assistive technologies MUST follow for an implementation to conform to this specification.
Non-normative sections provide information useful to understanding the specification. Such sections may contain examples of recommended practice, but it is not required to follow such recommendations in order to conform to this specification.
There are currently no deprecated requirements.
WAI-ARIA support was first introduced to HTML in [ HTML5 ].
Where an HTML element or attribute has default WAI-ARIA semantics, it MUST be exposed to the platform accessibility APIs in a way that conforms to General rules for exposing WAI-ARIA semantics in the Core Accessibility API Mappings 1.2 .
Where the host language is [ HTML ], user agents MUST conform to Conflicts between native markup semantics and WAI-ARIA in the Core Accessibility API Mappings 1.2 .
HTML can include features that are not supported by accessibility APIs at the time of publication. There is not a one to one relationship between all features and platform accessibility APIs . When HTML roles, states and properties do not directly map to an accessibility API , and there is a method in the API to expose a text string, user agents MUST expose the undefined role, states and properties via that method.
For HTML elements or attributes with default WAI-ARIA semantics, user agents MUST conform to Exposing attributes that do not directly map to accessibility API properties in the [ core-aam-1.2 ].
aria-roledescription
property
value
in
the
accessibility
tree
unless
the
element
has
an
explicit,
conforming
role
attribute
value.
label
element's
for
attribute,
or
a
descendant
of
a
label
element,
the
labelable
element's
UIA
LabeledBy
property
points
to
the
UIA
element
for
the
label
element.
Text
Control
Type
are
not
generally
represented
as
accessible
objects
in
the
accessibility
tree
,
but
are
just
part
of
the
Text
Control
Pattern
implemented
for
the
whole
HTML
document.
However,
if
they
have
any
aria-
attributes
or
an
explicit
tabindex
specified,
elements
mapped
to
the
Text
Control
Type
will
be
represented
as
accessible
objects
in
the
accessibility
tree
.
Notes:
The terms accessible name and accessible description are properties provided in all accessibility APIs . The name of the properties may differ across APIs but they serve the same function: as a container for a short (name) or longer (description) string of text.
The text alternative computation is used to generate both the accessible name and accessible description . There are different rules provided for several different types of elements , nodes , and combinations of markup.
input
type="text"
,
input
type="password"
,
input
type="search"
,
input
type="tel"
,
input
type="url"
and
textarea
Element
input
type="text"
,
input
type="password"
,
input
type="search"
,
input
type="tel"
,
input
type="email"
,
input
type="url"
and
textarea
Element
Accessible
Name
Computation
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
label
element(s)
accessible
name
(s)
-
if
more
than
one
label
is
associated;
concatenate
by
DOM
order,
delimited
by
spaces.
title
attribute.
placeholder
attribute.
input
type="text"
,
input
type="password"
,
input
type="search"
,
input
type="tel"
,
input
type="email"
,
input
type="url"
and
textarea
Element
Accessible
Description
Computation
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
input
type="image"
input
type="image"
Accessible
Name
Computation
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
alt
attribute.
title
attribute.
input
type="image"
Accessible
Description
Computation
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
fieldset
and
legend
Elements
fieldset
Element
Accessible
Name
Computation
fieldset
element
has
an
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
fieldset
element
has
a
child
that
is
a
legend
element,
then
use
the
subtree
of
the
first
such
element.
fieldset
element
has
a
title
attribute,
then
use
that
attribute.
fieldset
Element
Accessible
Description
Computation
fieldset
element
has
an
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
output
Element
output
Element
Accessible
Name
Computation
output
element
has
an
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
output
element
subtree.
title
attribute.
output
Element
Accessible
Description
Computation
aria-describedby
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
label
element.
title
attribute.
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
summary
Element
summary
Element
Accessible
Name
Computation
summary
element,
which
is
a
direct
child
of
the
details
element,
has
an
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
summary
element
subtree.
title
attribute.
summary
element
as
a
direct
child
of
the
details
element,
the
user
agent
should
provide
one
with
a
subtree
containing
a
localized
string
of
the
word
"details".
summary
element
as
a
direct
child
of
the
details
element,
but
none
of
the
above
yield
a
usable
text
string,
there
is
no
accessible
name
.
summary
Element
Accessible
Description
Computation
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
summary
element
subtree
if
not
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
figure
and
figcaption
Elements
figure
Element
Accessible
Name
Computation
figure
element
has
an
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
figure
element
has
a
child
that
is
a
figcaption
element,
then
use
the
subtree
of
the
first
such
element.
figure
element
has
a
title
attribute,
then
use
that
attribute.
figure
Element
Accessible
Description
Computation
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
img
Element
img
Element
Accessible
Name
Computation
img
element
has
an
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
alt
attribute.
title
attribute.
img
Element
Accessible
Description
Computation
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
table
Element
table
Element
Accessible
Name
Computation
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
table
element
has
a
child
that
is
a
caption
element,
then
use
the
subtree
of
the
first
such
element.
table
element
has
a
title
attribute,
then
use
that
attribute.
table
Element
Accessible
Description
Computation
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
table
element
has
a
child
that
is
a
caption
element
and
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
,
then
use
the
subtree
of
the
first
such
element.
table
element
has
a
title
attribute
and
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
,
then
use
that
attribute.
tr
,
td
,
th
Elements
Accessible
Name
Computation
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute.
tr
,
td
,
th
Elements
Accessible
Description
Computation
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
a
Element
with
a
href
attribute
a
Element
Accessible
Name
Computation
a
element
has
an
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
a
element
subtree.
title
attribute.
a
Element
with
a
href
attribute
Accessible
Description
Computation
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
area
Element
area
Element
Accessible
Name
Computation
area
element
has
an
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
area
element's
alt
attribute.
title
attribute.
area
Element
Accessible
Description
Computation
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
iframe
Element
iframe
Element
Accessible
Name
Computation
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute.
The
document
referenced
by
the
src
of
the
iframe
element
gets
its
name
from
that
document's
title
element,
like
any
other
document.
If
there
is
no
title
provided,
there
is
no
accessible
name.
iframe
Element
Accessible
Description
Computation
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute.
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
abbr
,
b
,
bdi
,
bdo
,
br
,
cite
,
code
,
dfn
,
em
,
i
,
kbd
,
mark
,
q
,
rp
,
rt
,
ruby
,
s
,
samp
,
small
,
strong
,
sub
and
sup
,
time
,
u
,
var
,
wbr
aria-label
or
an
aria-labelledby
attribute
the
accessible
name
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute.
aria-describedby
attribute
the
accessible
description
is
to
be
calculated
using
the
algorithm
defined
in
Accessible
Name
and
Description:
Computation
and
API
Mappings
1.1
.
title
attribute
if
it
wasn't
used
as
the
accessible
name
.
This section is non-normative.
summary
and
details
Elements
The
summary
element
should
be
focusable
by
default.
The
details
element
should
not
be
focusable
by
default.
Pressing
the
spacebar
or
enter
keys
when
the
summary
element
has
focus
will
show
the
details
element
content
if
the
content
was
hidden.
If
the
details
element
content
was
showing
and
the
summary
element
has
focus,
pressing
the
spacebar
or
enter
keys
will
hide
the
details
element
content.
The
summary
element
should
be
mapped
to
a
disclosure
triangle
role
in
accessibility
APIs
that
have
such
a
role.
For
example
the
Mac
accessibility
API
includes
the
AXDisclosureTriangle
role.
In
accessibility
APIs
that
do
not
have
such
a
fine
grained
role,
the
summary
element
should
be
mapped
to
a
button
role.
The
role
mapping
table
contains
recommended
mappings
for
the
summary
element
.
The
default
accessible
name
for
the
summary
element
is
the
text
content
of
the
summary
element.
When
the
details
element
content
is
hidden,
the
state
of
the
content
should
be
reflected
by
an
accessible
state
or
property.
Example
1:
In
the
Mac
accessibility
API
on
the
summary
element
(
AXDisclosureTriangle
),
set
AXExpanded
property
to
NO
.
When
the
details
element
content
is
shown,
on
the
summary
element
(
AXDisclosureTriangle
),
set
the
AXExpanded
property
to
YES
.
The
hidden
and
shown
states
of
the
details
element
content
is
reflected
by
the
absence
or
presence
of
the
open
attribute.
Example
2:
In
the
IA2
accessibility
API
on
the
summary
element
(
ROLE_SYSTEM_PUSHBUTTON
),
set
STATE_SYSTEM_COLLAPSED
.
When
the
details
element
content
is
shown,
on
the
summary
element
(
ROLE_SYSTEM_PUSHBUTTON
),
set
STATE_SYSTEM_EXPANDED
.
The
hidden
and
shown
states
of
the
details
element
content
is
reflected
by
the
absence
or
presence
of
the
open
attribute.
figure
and
figcaption
Elements
to do
Review the commit history of this document on GitHub.
readonly
,
name
,
form
,
disabled
.
See
Issue
257
.
hgroup
,
slot
,
autonomous
custom
element
and
form
associated
custom
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#189
.
disabled
,
scope
,
spellcheck
,
tabindex
to
point
to
WAI-ARIA
.
Adds
AX
pattern
,
reversed
,
rows
,
size
,
span
,
src
,
start
,
step
,
type
attribute
mappings.
Adds
min-length
,
ping
,
playsinline
,
referrerpolicy
,
sizes
,
srcset
,
data[value]
attribute
mappings.
See
GitHub
pull
request
#245
.
rb
and
rtc
elements
as
they
are
marked
as
obsolete
in
HTML
.
See
GitHub
issue
#115
and
pull
request
#253
.
high
,
low
,
max
,
min
,
and
meter
and
progress
's
value
attribute.
See
GitHub
pull
request
#244
.
mark
element's
UIA
LocalizedControlType
and
AX
AXRoleDescription
.
See
GitHub
issue
#236
.
summary
and
details
elements.
See
GitHub
issue
#142
and
GitHub
issue
#147
.
sub
and
sup
.
See
GitHub
pull
request
#252
.
menu
to
match
HTML
Living
Standard
.
Remove
element
and
attribute
mappings
that
are
not
applicable
to
menu
and
menuitem
.
Update
mapping
of
menu
to
role="list"
.
See
GitHub
issue
#188
.
ins
and
del
elements.
See
GitHub
pull
request
#219
.
ins
and
del
elements.
See
GitHub
issue
#141
.
header
and
footer
when
not
scoped
to
the
body
.
See
GitHub
issue
#129
.
map
element.
Add
accessible
name
and
description
computation
for
area
.
See
GitHub
issue
#176
.
sub
and
sup
elements.
See
Pull
request
#177
.
sup
and
sub
elements.
See
GitHub
issue
#174
.
address
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#170
.
placeholder
attribute
to
accessible
name
computation
for
various
input
elements.
See
GitHub
issue
#167
.
rb
and
rtc
elements,
and
updated
AXAPI
mappings
for
the
rb
,
rt
and
ruby
elements.
See
GitHub
issue
#115
.
svg
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#43
.
del
and
ins
elements,
and
the
datetime
attribute.
header
and
footer
when
scoped
to
body
,
aside
,
and
output
.
See
GitHub
issue
#119
.
multiple
attribute
on
input
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#96
.
sub
and
sup
elements.
See
GitHub
issue
#121
.
body
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#117
.
meter
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#2
.
address
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#33
.
dt
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#78
.
mark
element.
input
element
with
the
type
attribute
in
the
Color
state.
See
GitHub
issue
#48
.
pre
,
q
,
and
ruby
elements,
and
the
multiple
attribute
for
the
input
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#94
.
readonly
attribute
to
use
aria-readonly="true"
WAI-ARIA
mappings.
See
GitHub
issue
#93
.
canvas
element
from
AXImage
to
AXGroup
.
dfn
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#6
.
meter
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#2
.
audio
and
video
elements.
See
GitHub
issue
#80
.
figure
element
mappings
to
reflect
the
WAI-ARIA
figure
role
mappings
.
form
element
based
on
presence
of
accessible
name
.
See
GitHub
issue
#106
.
img
element's
title
attribute
when
the
element's
alt
attribute
is
empty.
See
GitHub
issue
#99
.
aria-roledescription
unless
element
also
a
conforming
role
attribute
value.
See
GitHub
issue
#98
.
type
attribute
on
the
ol
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#91
.
title
attribute
on
abbr
element,
and
abbr
attribute
on
th
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#16
.
hidden
attribute.
See
GitHub
issue
#38
.
selected
attribute.
See
GitHub
issue
#92
.
time
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#88
.
lang
and
dir
attributes.
See
GitHub
issue
#19
.
colspan
and
rowspan
attributes.
See
GitHub
issue
#56
and
issue
#57
.
section
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#79
.
datalist
element
if
not
linked
with
input
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#26
.
list
attribute.
See
GitHub
issue
#21
.
footer
and
header
elements.
See
GitHub
issue
#59
.
input@type='date'
attribute.
See
GitHub
issue
#61
.
input@type='file'
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#62
.
summary
element.
See
GitHub
issue
#64
.
header
and
footer
elements
are
or
are
not
ARIA
landmarks.
See
GitHub
issue
#65
.
aria-multiselectable
mapping
for
datalist
to
reflect
listbox
selection
model.
See
GitHub
issue
#71
.
multiple
attribute
on
input
and
select
elements.
See
GitHub
issue
#72
.
checked
,
contenteditable
,
disabled
,
and
indeterminate
attributes.
placeholder
attribute
from
accessible
description
computation
for
various
input
elements.
This section is non-normative.
The following people contributed to the development of this document.
This publication has been funded in part with U.S. Federal funds from the Department of Education, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), initially under contract number ED-OSE-10-C-0067 and currently under contract number HHSP23301500054C. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.