Aria Valid Attribute
Critical - WCAG Level A
The aria-valid-attr rule ensures that any attributes prefixed with aria- are valid according to the ARIA specification and are applied to the appropriate HTML elements. Using invalid ARIA attributes can lead to confusion for assistive technologies, resulting in a poor experience for users who rely on these tools.
For users with disabilities, particularly those using screen readers or other assistive technologies, valid ARIA attributes are crucial for understanding the functionality and purpose of web elements. Invalid attributes can cause screen readers to misinterpret the information, leading to a frustrating experience. For example, if a screen reader encounters an invalid ARIA attribute, it may ignore it entirely or announce it incorrectly, which can mislead users about the interface's capabilities.
How to fix it:
Identify Invalid Attributes: Review your HTML for any
aria-attributes that are either misspelled or not applicable to the elements they are used on.Consult the ARIA Specification: Refer to the WAI-ARIA specification to verify that the attributes you are using are valid and appropriate for the elements.
Remove or Correct Invalid Attributes: If you find any invalid attributes, either remove them or replace them with valid ones. Ensure that the attributes you keep are semantically appropriate for the element.
Best practices:
Always validate ARIA attributes against the specification before implementation.
Use semantic HTML elements where possible, as they often do not require additional ARIA attributes.
Test your application with screen readers to ensure that the ARIA attributes are functioning as intended.
Common mistakes:
Applying ARIA attributes to elements that do not support them (e.g., using
aria-attributes on<span>elements without a role).Misspelling ARIA attributes (e.g., using
aria-lableinstead ofaria-label).Overusing ARIA attributes when native HTML elements can convey the same information without additional markup.