What is WAI-ARIA?

Modified on: Tue, 19 May, 2026 at 6:34 PM

Summary

WAI-ARIA (Web Accessibility Initiative – Accessible Rich Internet Applications) is a W3C technical specification that improves web accessibility by adding attributes to HTML, helping assistive technologies (like screen readers) understand dynamic content and complex user interface elements.

What it is

This article is intended to help you understand WAI-ARIA.

What is WAI-ARIA?

WAI-ARIA, often referred as ARIA, is an abbreviation for Web Accessibility Initiative - Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite. In early 2014, WAI-ARIA became a completed World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendation. WAI-ARIA is a technical specification that specifies a way of making websites more accessible to people with disabilities.

How it works

WAI-ARIA specifies certain attributes that can be added to a website’s HTML code to give information on how an element should be interpreted on a speech based interface, e.g. telling a screen reader that something is a button or a navigation area. WAI-ARIA especially helps with dynamic content and advanced user interface controls developed with, for example, JavaScript.

Why it matters

Does the Siteimprove's Accessibility module include WAI-ARIA checks?

Siteimprove checks for WAI-ARIA within the Accessibility module. The WAI-ARIA technical specification is a way to live up to WCAG 2 conformance levels to make a website accessible to people with disabilities.
NOTE: WAI-ARIA is not a self-contained technology, but is to be used to enhance other technologies.

Key Takeaways

WAI-ARIA is a W3C specification designed to improve accessibility for users with disabilities
It works by adding semantic meaning to HTML for assistive technologies
It is especially useful for dynamic, JavaScript-driven interfaces
WAI-ARIA supports WCAG conformance but is not a standalone solution

Additional resources

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