aria-deprecated-role
Web validation
ARIA roles provide important semantic information to assistive technologies. However, some ARIA roles have been officially deprecated and should no longer be used. Deprecated roles are often no longer supported across browsers and assistive technologies, which can result in inconsistent or inaccessible user experiences. Instead of using these outdated roles, developers should rely on native HTML elements that provide similar semantics or adopt recommended alternatives.
Deprecated ARIA roles:
directory
Used for a list of references to members of a group (like a Table of Contents). Its recommended alternatives arelistor a native<ul>or<ol>. For navigation, use the<nav>landmark.doc-biblioentry(from the DPUB-ARIA specification)
Its recommended alternative islistitem.doc-endnote(from the DPUB-ARIA specification)
Its recommended alternative islistitem.
Pass Patterns
Using a valid ARIA role
This example uses a valid ARIA role: paragraph.
<div role="paragraph">
<!-- The paragraph text -->
</div>Using native HTML
This example uses a native HTML list element, which conveys the correct semantics without needing an ARIA role. The native structure provides all necessary semantic information to assistive technologies.
<ul>
<li>Note 1</li>
<li>Note 2</li>
</ul>Fail Patterns
Using the deprecated directory role
role="directory" is deprecated and may not be interpreted consistently by assistive technologies.
<ul role="directory">
<li>Folder A</li>
<li>Folder B</li>
</ul>Using the deprecated doc-endnote role
role="doc-endnote" is deprecated. Use a standard list item instead.
<ol>
<li role="doc-endnote">Reference 1</li>
<li role="doc-endnote">Reference 2</li>
</ol>ACT Rules
Try It Yourself
Inspecting the browser dev-tools
- Open your browser's dev tools and select the element in the Elements panel.
- Check the value of its
roleattribute against the list of deprecated roles. - In the Accessibility panel, check the Role the browser exposes.
Expected results: The element uses a supported role, and the Accessibility panel exposes it correctly.
Actual results: The element may be missing from the accessibility tree, have no role, or be exposed with its native semantics, making it invisible or confusing to assistive technologies.
FAQ
How does this issue relate to 4.1.2 Name, role, value?
This issue relates to SC 4.1.2 because using deprecated ARIA roles fails to provide name, role, or value information in a way that assistive technologies can interpret reliably. That breaks the accessibility requirement for exposing element semantics programmatically.
Why is this issue marked as Minor?
While deprecated ARIA roles do not always break functionality, they make it harder for assistive technology to interpret the page correctly, which can confuse users who depend on role information to navigate.
Standards and Regulations
| Standard | Success Criterion | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| WCAG 2.2 | 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (A) | For all user interface components, the name and role can be programmatically determined; states, properties, and values that can be set by the user can be programmatically set; and notification of changes to these items is available to assistive technologies. |
| EN 301 549 | 9.4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | Same as the WCAG text. |