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ARIA Attributes must use Valid Values

ARIA attributes can only be assigned allowed values.

Updated over a month ago

In this Article

What it Means and why it Matters

When ARIA is used in your webpages, the attributes must only be given one of the allowed values.

For example, the attribute aria-hidden can only have one of three values: true, false, or undefined.

Failure to use allowed values will make content inaccessible to assistive technology users.

Diagnosing the Problem from a Page View

Follow these steps to begin your diagnosis:

  1. From the Detail Page View in DubBot, expand the details for the issue you are investigating.

  2. In the Failure Summary area, find the ARIA attribute that has been flagged as having an invalid value. The attribute aria-owns is the flagged item in the example below.

  3. Review the Element Source content to get a better idea of where the issue is found on your webpage.

  4. Visit the W3C WAI-ARIA 1.2 Definitions of States and Properties to look up the attribute noted in your Failure Summary area.

Detail Page View in DubBot with a red circle around the carat symbol that users click to expand the details of the issue. At the bottom of the Detail Page View is the Failure Summary area.

Quick Checks & Common Issues

  • Is the value spelled correctly? For example, aria-hidden="flase" will fail the check, it should be false.

  • When using an attribute that references the ID of another element on the page, ensure the ID exists and is spelled correctly.

  • Did you have role="image" flagged? That should be role="img".

  • Don't use aria-label or aria-labelledby on a span or div unless it is given a role.

  • Are third-party embeds (ex. SoundCloud, Slick slideshow) the issue? - Review our article on Third-Party Content on Your Sites and Accessibility Issues.

Learn More

Looking for the basics on attributes? Review our article on ARIA Attributes: The Basics.

DubBot Flag:

  • ARIA attributes must conform to valid values

If you have questions, please contact our DubBot Support team via email at help@dubbot.com or via the blue chat bubble in the lower right corner of your screen. We are here to help!

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