WebAIM: Up and Coming ARIA

DRANK

If you work in web accessibility, you’ve probably spent a lot of time explaining and implementing the ARIA roles and attributes that have been around for years—things like aria-label, aria-labelledby, and role="dialog". But the ARIA landscape isn’t static. In fact, recent ARIA specifications (especially ARIA 1.3) include a number of emerging and lesser-known features that are quietly laying the groundwork for the next phase of inclusive web design. In this article, we’ll look at some of the “up and coming” ARIA features—some already supported, some just getting started, and some you might not have heard of. Think of these as tools to keep on your radar as browser and screen reader support continues to evolve. Environments Tested Windows 11:Current versions (May 2025) of JAWS, NVDA, and Narrator with Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. MacOS Sequoia:Current versions (May 2025) of VoiceOver with Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. iOS 18.4:VoiceOver with Safari. Android 15:TalkBack 15.2 with Chr…