WAI-ARIA

A W3C technical specification that defines a set of HTML attributes (roles, states, and properties) for making dynamic web content and user interface components accessible to people using assistive technologies. WAI-ARIA bridges the gap between rich interactive web applications and screen readers by providing semantic information about widgets, structures, and behaviors that native HTML elements alone cannot convey. Common uses include labeling interactive elements (aria-label, aria-labelledby), indicating states (aria-expanded, aria-checked), and announcing dynamic content updates (aria-live regions). While ARIA is essential for complex web applications, the first rule of ARIA is to use native HTML elements whenever possible, as they have built-in accessibility support.