Document Semantics

Document semantics refers to the layers of meaning embedded in a web page that go beyond the raw HTML markup — including layout semantics (spatial relationships between visual elements), content semantics (the nature and structure of textual content), interaction semantics (the interactive behaviors a page supports), and site semantics (meta-information available across the complete website). When web pages are serialized for screen readers, most of these semantic layers are lost, leaving only a flat sequence of tagged text. The concept highlights a fundamental gap in screen reader technology: current tools primarily expose HTML tags and ARIA roles, but fail to convey the geometric, contextual, and behavioral information that sighted users use to navigate efficiently. Preserving and conveying document semantics is essential for enabling blind users to build accurate mental models of web page structure and purpose.