Abstract

Assistive technologies need semantic information about the structures and expected behaviors of a document in order to convey appropriate information to persons with disabilities. This specification defines a [WAI-ARIA] module of core roles, states and properties specific to web graphics. These semantics allow an author to express the logical structure of the graphic to assistive technologies. Assistive technologies could then enable semantic navigation and adapt styling and interactive features, to provide an optimal experience for the audience. These features complement the graphics and document structure elements defined by [HTML5] and [SVG2].

This document is part of the WAI-ARIA suite described in the WAI-ARIA Overview.

Status of This Document

This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede this document. A list of current W3C publications and the latest revision of this technical report can be found in the W3C technical reports index at http://www.w3.org/TR/.

This is a First Public Working Draft of WAI-ARIA Graphics Module 1.0 by the SVG Accessibility Taskforce, a joint task force of the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group and the SVG Working Group. It is a module that extends WAI-ARIA 1.1 [WAI-ARIA] to define roles specific to the needs of graphics languages including SVG [SVG2]. These roles add semantics to describe features common to graphical formats that are not provided by base languages like HTML, to facilitate automated processing and accessibility support.

Feedback on any aspect of the specification is accepted. For this publication, the SVG Accessibility Task Force particularly seeks feedback on the following questions:

To comment, file an issue in the W3C ARIA GitHub repository, using the "graphics" label in the issue. If this is not feasible, send email to public-svg-a11y@w3.org (comment archive). Comments are requested by 15 January 2016. In-progress updates to the document may be viewed in the publicly visible editors' draft.

Publication as a First Public Working Draft does not imply endorsement by the W3C Membership. This is a draft document and may be updated, replaced or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to cite this document as other than work in progress.

This document was produced by groups operating under the 5 February 2004 W3C Patent Policy. W3C maintains a public list of any patent disclosures (Accessible Rich Internet Applications Working Group) and a public list of any patent disclosures (SVG Working Group) made in connection with the deliverables of each group; these pages also include instructions for disclosing a patent. An individual who has actual knowledge of a patent which the individual believes contains Essential Claim(s) must disclose the information in accordance with section 6 of the W3C Patent Policy.

This document is governed by the 1 September 2015 W3C Process Document.

Table of Contents§

1. Introduction§

This section is non-normative.

WAI-ARIA is a technical specification that provides a framework to improve the accessibility and interoperability of web content and applications. It enables web browsers to map the accessibility semantics in web content to platform-specific accessibility APIs. This enables web content to be interoperable with platform assistive technologies, similar to native platform applications, without requiring authors to include platform dependencies.

This specification is a modular extension of WAI-ARIA designed to support graphics. The goals of this specification include:

This specification defines the core roles that would be used in all structured graphics or diagrams. Future work will expand on this framework to enable more detailed annotation of data-rich graphics such as charts or maps.

For a more detailed explanation of WAI-ARIA please refer to the WAI-ARIA Introduction and how it applies to Rich Internet Application Accessibility.

1.1 Target Audience§

This specification defines a module of WAI-ARIA for graphics, including roles, states, properties and values. It impacts several audiences:

Each conformance requirement indicates the audience to which it applies.

1.2 User Agent Support§

This module builds on the general User Agent support principles defined in [WAI-ARIA] by also providing the ability for user agents to enhance the general user interface presented to readers.

1.3 Co-Evolution of WAI-ARIA and Host Languages§

The Graphics WAI-ARIA module follows the model for co-evolution of WAI-ARIA and host languages defined in [WAI-ARIA]. It is intended to augment semantics in supporting languages like [HTML5], [SVG2] and EPUB, or to be used as an accessibility enhancement technology in other markup-based languages that do not explicitly include support for ARIA. It clarifies semantics to assistive technologies when authors create new types of objects, via style and script, that are not yet directly supported by the language of the page, because the invention of new types of objects is faster than standardized support for them appears in web languages.

It is not appropriate to create objects with style and script when the host language provides a semantic element for that type of objects. While WAI-ARIA can improve the accessibility of these objects, accessibility is best provided by allowing the user agent to handle the object natively. For example, it is not better to use a heading role on a div element than it is to use a native heading element, such as an h1.

It is expected that, over time, host languages will evolve to provide semantics for objects that currently can only be declared with this specification. This is natural and desirable, as one goal of WAI-ARIA is to help stimulate the emergence of more semantic and accessible markup. When native semantics for a given feature become available, it is appropriate for authors to use the native feature and stop using this module for that feature. Legacy content may continue to use the Graphics WAI-ARIA module, however, so the need for user agents to support it remains.

While specific features of this module may lose importance over time, the general possibility of the Graphics WAI-ARIA module to add semantics to web graphics or open web based standards, is expected to be a persistent need. Host languages may not implement all the semantics this module provides, and various host languages may implement different subsets of the features. New types of objects are continually being developed, and one goal of this specification is to provide a way to make such objects accessible, because authoring practices often advance faster than host language standards. In this way, this module and host languages both evolve together but at different rates.

Some host languages exist to create semantics for features other than the user interface. For example, SVG expresses the semantics behind production of graphical objects, not of user interface components that those objects may represent. Host languages such as these might, by design, not provide native semantics that map to this specification's features. In these cases, the Graphics WAI-ARIA module could be adopted as a long-term approach to add semantic information to these host languages.

1.4 Authoring Practices§

1.4.1 Authoring Tools§

Many of the requirements in the definitions of the WAI-ARIA and Graphics WAI-ARIA roles, states and properties can be checked automatically during the development process, similar to other quality control processes used for validating code. To assist authors who are creating graphics, these tools can compare the semantic structure of Graphics WAI-ARIA roles from the DOM to that defined in this specification and notify the author of errors or simply create templates that enforce that structure.

1.4.2 Testing Practices and Tools§

The accessibility of interactive content cannot be confirmed by static checks alone. Developers of interactive content should test for device-independent access to widgets and applications, and should verify accessibility API access to all content and changes during user interaction.

1.5 Assistive Technologies§

Programmatic access to accessibility semantics is essential for assistive technologies. For more information, refer to the Assistive Technologies section in [WAI-ARIA].

2. Conformance§

As well as sections marked as non-normative, all authoring guidelines, diagrams, examples, and notes in this specification are non-normative. Everything else in this specification is normative.

The key words MUST, SHOULD, and SHOULD NOT are to be interpreted as described in [RFC2119].

This specification indicates whether a section is normative or informative. Classifying a section as normative or informative applies to the entire section. A statement "This section is normative" or "This section is informative" applies to all sub-sections of that section.

Normative sections provide requirements that authors, user agents and assistive technologies MUST follow for an implementation to conform to this specification.

Informative sections provide information useful to understanding the specification. Such sections may contain examples of recommended practice, but it is not required to follow such recommendations in order to conform to this specification.

3. Important Terms§

This section is non-normative.

While some terms are defined in place, the following definitions are used throughout this document.

Accessibility API

Operating systems and other platforms provide a set of interfaces that expose information about objects and events to assistive technologies. Assistive technologies use these interfaces to get information about and interact with those widgets. Examples of accessibility APIs are Microsoft Active Accessibility [MSAA], Microsoft User Interface Automation [UI-AUTOMATION], MSAA with UIA Express [UIA-EXPRESS], the Mac OS X Accessibility Protocol [AXAPI], the Linux/Unix Accessibility Toolkit [ATK] and Assistive Technology Service Provider Interface [AT-SPI], and IAccessible2 [IAccessible2].

Accessibility Tree

Tree of accessible objects that represents the structure of the user interface (UI). Each node in the accessibility tree represents an element in the UI as exposed through the accessibility API; for example, a push button, a check box, or container.

Accessible Description

An accessible description provides additional information, related to an interface element, that complements the accessible name. The accessible description might or might not be visually perceivable.

Accessible Name

The accessible name is the name of a user interface element. Each platform accessibility API provides the accessible name property. The value of the accessible name may be derived from a visible (e.g., the visible text on a button) or invisible (e.g., the text alternative that describes an icon) property of the user interface element. See related accessible description.

A simple use for the accessible name property may be illustrated by an "OK" button. The text "OK" is the accessible name. When the button receives focus, assistive technologies may concatenate the platform's role description with the accessible name. For example, a screen reader may speak "push-button OK" or "OK button". The order of concatenation and specifics of the role description (e.g., "button", "push-button", "clickable button") are determined by platform accessibility APIs or assistive technologies.

Accessible object

A node in the accessibility tree of a platform accessibility API. Accessible objects expose various states, properties, and events for use by assistive technologies. In the context of markup languages (e.g., HTML and SVG) in general, and of WAI-ARIA in particular, markup elements and their attributes are represented as accessible objects.

Assistive Technologies

Hardware and/or software that:

  • relies on services provided by a user agent to retrieve and render Web content
  • works with a user agent or web content itself through the use of APIs, and
  • provides services beyond those offered by the user agent to facilitate user interaction with web content by people with disabilities

This definition may differ from that used in other documents.

Examples of assistive technologies that are important in the context of this document include the following:

  • screen magnifiers, which are used to enlarge and improve the visual readability of rendered text and images;
  • screen readers, which are most-often used to convey information through synthesized speech or a refreshable Braille display;
  • text-to-speech software, which is used to convert text into synthetic speech;
  • speech recognition software, which is used to allow spoken control and dictation;
  • alternate input technologies (including head pointers, on-screen keyboards, single switches, and sip/puff devices), which are used to simulate the keyboard;
  • alternate pointing devices, which are used to simulate mouse pointing and clicking.
Attribute

In this specification, attribute is used as it is in markup languages. Attributes are structural features added to elements to provide information about the states and properties of the object represented by the element.

Class

A set of instance objects that share similar characteristics.

Element

In this specification, element is used as it is in markup languages. Elements are the structural elements in markup language that contains the data profile for objects.

Event

A programmatic message used to communicate discrete changes in the state of an object to other objects in a computational system. User input to a web page is commonly mediated through abstract events that describe the interaction and can provide notice of changes to the state of a document object. In some programming languages, events are more commonly known as notifications.

Informative

Content provided for information purposes and not required for conformance. Content required for conformance is referred to as normative.

Keyboard Accessible

Accessible to the user using a keyboard or assistive technologies that mimic keyboard input, such as a sip and puff tube. References in this document relate to WCAG 2.0 Guideline 2.1: Make all functionality available from a keyboard [WCAG20].

Node

Basic type of object in the DOM tree or accessibility tree. DOM nodes are further specified as Element or Text nodes, among other types. The nodes of an accessibility tree are accessible objects.

Normative

Required for conformance. By contrast, content identified as informative or "non-normative" is not required for conformance.

Object

In the context of user interfaces, an item in the perceptual user experience, represented in markup languages by one or more elements, and rendered by user agents.

In the context of programming, the instantiation of one or more classes and interfaces which define the general characteristics of similar objects. An object in an accessibility API may represent one or more DOM objects. Accessibility APIs have defined interfaces that are distinct from DOM interfaces.
Ontology

A description of the characteristics of classes and how they relate to each other.

Perceivable

Presentable to users in ways they can sense. References in this document relate to WCAG 2.0 Principle 1: Content must be perceivable [WCAG20].

Property

Attributes that are essential to the nature of a given object, or that represent a data value associated with the object. A change of a property may significantly impact the meaning or presentation of an object. Certain properties (for example, aria-multiline) are less likely to change than states, but note that the frequency of change difference is not a rule. A few properties, such as aria-activedescendant, aria-valuenow, and aria-valuetext are expected to change often. See clarification of states versus properties.

Role

Main indicator of type. This semantic association allows tools to present and support interaction with the object in a manner that is consistent with user expectations about other objects of that type.

Semantics

The meaning of something as understood by a human, defined in a way that computers can process a representation of an object, such as elements and attributes, and reliably represent the object in a way that various humans will achieve a mutually consistent understanding of the object.

State

A state is a dynamic property expressing characteristics of an object that may change in response to user action or automated processes. States do not affect the essential nature of the object, but represent data associated with the object or user interaction possibilities. See clarification of states versus properties.

Taxonomy

A hierarchical definition of how the characteristics of various classes relate to each other, in which classes inherit the properties of superclasses in the hierarchy. A taxonomy can comprise part of the formal definition of an ontology.

Text node

Type of DOM node that represents the textual content of an attribute or an element. A Text node has no child nodes.

User Agent

Any software that retrieves, renders and facilitates end user interaction with Web content. This definition may differ from that used in other documents.

Widget

Discrete user interface object with which the user can interact. Widgets range from simple objects that have one value or operation (e.g., check boxes and menu items), to complex objects that contain many managed sub-objects (e.g., trees and grids).

4. Graphics Roles§

This section defines additions to the WAI-ARIA role taxonomy and describes the characteristics and properties of all roles. See ARIA Roles for descriptions of the fields provided by this module.

Authors are given the ability to influence what is presented to assistive technologies and to influence navigation through the use of roles and properties. With graphics, there are many cases where presenting and navigating every element will make the graphic harder to understand and use. Authors may mark elements for exclusion from the semantic representation of the document (the accessibility tree) by assigning the role none or presentation. The element with this role should be treated transparently by assistive technologies, as if its children or text content were directly contained by its parent element.

In addition, certain roles, such as img or graphics-symbol, when assigned to a parent element, will cause all child DOM structure to be omitted from the accessibility tree. This is indicated by the "Children Presentational" value in the role characteristics table. Finally, the native semantics of the graphics language may also default to ignoring DOM structure that does not have semantic data attached; for SVG, this is defined in [SVG-AAM].

A role of none should never be used for interactive elements or those with WAI-ARIA states and properties.

4.1 Definition of Roles§

Below is an alphabetical list of the WAI-ARIA roles defined in this specification. They would normally be used in combination with other roles defined in [WAI-ARIA] to annotate graphics within documents and rich internet applications.

graphics-doc
A type of document in which the visual appearance or layout of content conveys meaning.
graphics-object
A section of a graphics-doc that represents a distinct object or sub-component with semantic meaning. A graphical object may itself have nested sub-components.
graphics-symbol
A graphical object used to convey a simple meaning or category, where the meaning is more important than the particular visual appearance. It may be a component of a larger structured graphic such as a chart or map. The symbol itself is an atomic object; children are presentational.

graphics-doc (role)§

A type of document in which the visual appearance or layout of content conveys meaning.

Similar to other document types, the graphics-doc role applies to the root element of a region of the page containing related information, where the user's primary interaction mode is expected to be browsing the document rather than controlling an application. The element with this role may be the root element of the document file, or of a nested structure within it.

The graphics-doc may be distinguished from similar roles as follows:

  • Relative to other documents, a graphics-doc is distinguished by the semantic importance of its visual (usually two-dimensional) representation. User agents and assistive technologies SHOULD take this into consideration when supporting navigation of the graphic. Accessibility technologies that re-format or re-style a document SHOULD NOT alter the layout of a graphics-doc except in ways that are consistent with the semantic roles and relationships of its content.

  • Relative to an img, a graphics-doc is distinguished by the structured nature of its content. Its child elements may have semantic meaning, and may include links or other interactive widgets.

  • Relative to a graphics-object, a graphics-doc is self-contained. Its meaning persists when separated from surrounding content. The element with the graphics-doc role defines the scope and context for interpretation of the child content.

In general, authors SHOULD use the graphics-doc role for structured graphics such as charts, maps, diagrams, technical drawing, blue prints and instructional graphics. However, if a single large graphic has discrete regions that may be safely re-arranged without sacrificing meaning, each of those regions SHOULD be a distinct graphics-doc. An alternative role (such as figure) may be used to group them together. One graphics-doc may also be nested inside another, for example a bar chart that is embedded in a map or a matrix of chart panels should have a role of graphics-doc. The nested document provides encapsulation; navigation between components of the inner and outer graphics should be explicit.

Note

To support user agents and assistive technologies based on the ARIA 1.0 specification, authors may wish to include the document role as a fallback value, in the form role="graphics-doc document".

Future specifications may define more specific roles for particular types of graphical documents with special semantic structures. Those more specific roles would be subclasses of graphics-doc.

Example 1
<!-- An SVG diagram of an electrical circuit -->
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" 
     width="400" height="200" viewBox="0 0 200 100"
     role="graphics-doc document" >
     <title>A simple circuit</title>
     <desc>A circuit with one source, one switch, and one load</desc>
     <style type="text/css">
        /* omitted */
     </style>
     <g id="battery-1" role="graphics-symbol img" 
        aria-roledescription="source" 
        aria-label="battery"
        aria-flowto="switch-1" 
        transform="translate(20,50)" >
        <path d="M-15,-5 h30 M-5,5 h10" />
     </g>
     <path class="wire" d="M20,45 V20 H90"/>
     <g id="switch-1" role="graphics-symbol img" 
        aria-roledescription="switch" 
        aria-label="single-pole switch"
        aria-flowto="lightbulb-1" >
        <path d="M90,20 L105,30" />
        <circle class="connection" cx="90" cy="20" r="2" />
        <circle class="connection" cx="110" cy="20" r="2" />
     </g>
     <!-- more wires and a light bulb --> 
</svg>
Characteristics:
Characteristic Value
Superclass Role: document
Related Concepts:
Inherited States and Properties:
Name From: author
Accessible Name Required: True
Children Presentational: False

graphics-object (role)§

A section of a graphics-doc that represents a distinct object or sub-component with semantic meaning. A graphical object may itself have nested sub-components.

Container elements that instead represent a collection of disconnected objects should instead be given the group or list roles. Grouping elements that do not have semantic meaning and do not alter the semantic context provided by an ancestor SHOULD NOT be given a role, which may be explicitly indicated with the role none or presentation.

Unlike a graphics-doc, a graphics-object need not be self-contained, and it does not establish a new context for navigation. However, user agents and assistive technologies SHOULD provide a way for users, particularly non-visual users, to navigate the nested structure of objects in a hierarchical manner, similar to nested lists.

Note

To support user agents and assistive technologies based on the ARIA 1.0 specification, authors may wish to include the group role as a fallback value, in the form role="graphics-object group".

The code that follows is a portion of the markup for a structured graphic. It includes SVG g grouping elements with various roles:

  • graphics-object for distinct objects, such as the house, its door, or roof.
  • group to group together the windows or the trees (multiple distinct objects) with a single label or description.
  • img for the background which is described as a whole.
  • none for elements that apply styles or transformations without having any semantic meaning.

Where a graphical object has multiple sub-components, the group role is provided as an explicit fallback.

<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
     width="600" height="400" viewBox="0 0 600 400"
     role="graphics-doc document" xml:lang="en">
    <title>Home</title>
    <g role="img" aria-label="background">
        <desc>Blue sky, sunshine, and green grass</desc>
        <!-- The multiple parts of the background form a single image
             conveyed by that one description. -->
        <rect fill="lightSkyBlue" height="100%" width="100%" />
        <circle fill="yellow" stroke="gold" stroke-width="4"
                cx="0" cy="0" r="50" />
        <path fill="none" stroke="gold" stroke-width="3"
              d="..." />
        <rect fill="#6a2" y="300" width="100%" height="100" />
    </g>
    <g role="graphics-object group"
       aria-labelledby="house-label"
       transform="translate(100,325)">
        <desc>A two-storey brick house, drawn with basic shapes.
        </desc>
        <!-- The house has a number of details worth calling out,
             so it is a graphical object -->

        <rect fill="firebrick" stroke="darkRed"
              width="300" height="200" y="-200"
              role="none" /><!-- the walls of the house are 
                already described thoroughly,
                so no role is required -->

        <g role="graphics-object" aria-label="door"
           transform="translate(30,-90)">
            <desc>The brown door on the left side of the building
                has a window and a round doorknob</desc>
            <!-- The graphical object role allows for further
                 nested sub-components.
                 However, based on the default SVG API mappings,
                 these shapes, which have neither labels nor descriptions,
                 will be treated as presentation. -->
            <rect fill="darkKhaki" stroke="#632"
                  width="50" height="90"/>
            <rect fill="lightSteelBlue" stroke="#632" stroke-width="4" 
                  x="5" y="5" width="40" height="30" />
            <circle fill="gray" stroke="#444" stroke-width="0.7"
                    cx="10" cy="50" r="4" />
        </g>

        <g role="group" aria-label="windows"
           fill="lightSteelBlue" stroke="#632" stroke-width="6">
            <!-- The windows are distinct objects, 
                 grouped together with a common label -->
            <g role="none" transform="translate(0,-85)">
                <rect aria-label="first-floor window"
                      x="100" width="25" height="45">
                    <desc>A small window beside the door</desc>
                </rect>
                <path aria-label="first-floor living-room window"
                      d="M180,0h100v60h-100v-60z
                         m30,0v60 m40,0v-60">
                    <desc>A large three-pane window fills
                    the rest of the first floor</desc>
                </path>
            </g>
            <g role="none" transform="translate(0,-180)">
                <!-- more windows on the second floor -->
            </g>
        </g>
        <!-- more markup for the roof and chimney -->

        <text id="house-label"
              font-family="cursive" font-size="36px" 
              x="70" y="50">My House</text>
    </g>
    <!-- more markup for the trees -->
</svg>
Characteristics:
Characteristic Value
Superclass Role: section
Subclass Roles:
Related Concepts:
Inherited States and Properties:
Name From:
  • author
  • contents
Accessible Name Required: False
Children Presentational: False

graphics-symbol (role)§

A graphical object used to convey a simple meaning or category, where the meaning is more important than the particular visual appearance. It may be a component of a larger structured graphic such as a chart or map. The symbol itself is an atomic object; children are presentational.

When used as part of a structured symbolic language, the aria-roledescription property (introduced in ARIA 1.1 [WAI-ARIA]) can be used to name the symbol type separately from the name and description for the particular instance of the symbol.

Note

To support user agents and assistive technologies based on the ARIA 1.0 specification, authors may wish to include the img role as a fallback value, in the form role="graphics-symbol img", if that is not already the default semantic role for the element.

Example 2
<!-- Within an HTML document listing a restaurant menu -->
<h2>Appetizers</h2>
<ul>
    <li> Spinach Salad with Strawberry & Almonds
        <img role="graphics-symbol" title="Vegetarian" src="../assets/leaf.svg" />
        <img role="graphics-symbol" title="Contains Nuts" src="../assets/peanut.svg" />
    </li>
    <li> Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
        <img role="graphics-symbol" title="Contains Nuts" src="../assets/peanut.svg" />
    </li>
    <!-- … -->
</ul>
Example 3
<!-- Within an SVG diagram of an electrical circuit -->
<g id="lightbulb-1" role="graphics-symbol img" 
   aria-roledescription="load" 
   aria-label="lightbulb"
   aria-describedby="lightbulb-1-label"
   aria-flowto="battery-1" 
   transform="translate(180,50)">
    <text id="lightbulb-1-label"
        x="-15" dy="0.5ex" text-anchor="end" >10W</text>
    <circle r="10" />
    <path d="M0,-10 C0,8 5,8 5,0 C5,-8 0,-8 0,10" />
</g>
Example 4
<!-- Within an architectural blueprint-style SVG diagram -->
<g role="graphics-symbol img">
    <title>Door</title>
    <desc>on West side of South wall</desc>
    <line stroke-width="8" stroke="white" 
          x1="50" y1="275" x2="150" y2="275"/>
    <line stroke-width="4" stroke="#444" 
          x1="50" y1="275" x2="125" y2="225"/>        
</g>
<!-- … -->
<use xlink:href="#outlet" role="graphics-symbol img" 
     x="5" y="130" width="40" height="40">
    <title>Electrical outlet</title>
    <desc>at center of West wall</desc>
</use>
Characteristics:
Characteristic Value
Superclass Role: graphics-object
Related Concepts:
Inherited States and Properties:
Name From: author
Accessible Name Required: True
Children Presentational: True

4.2 Other Roles for Graphics§

The following core ARIA roles, defined in [WAI-ARIA], are also relevant for annotating graphics:

The following examples demonstrate appropriate use of img, figure, and graphics-doc in a document.

Within an HTML 5 document, an inline SVG may sometimes represent an atomic img. If the graphics form part of the natural reading flow of the text, then this role is sufficient, as in the first example:

Example 5
<p>A repeating SVG gradient is defined using the
    <code>spreadMethod</code> attribute.  
    A value of <code>repeat</code> causes the color stops
    to repeat in the same order, from beginning to end:</p>
<svg class="inline-example" role="img">
    <title>A repeating linear gradient</title>
    <desc>The gradient starts dark, slowly shifting to light, 
        then quickly dark again.  This pattern repeats four
        times left to right, each time brightening across a large
        region and then getting dark within a short space.
    </desc>
    <linearGradient id="repeat" x2="25%" spreadMethod="repeat">
        <stop offset="0"     stop-color="black" />
        <stop offset="0.8" stop-color="white" />
        <stop offset="1"     stop-color="black" />
    </linearGradient>
    <rect width="100%" height="100%" fill="url(#repeat)" />
</svg>

The following example provides the same content, but now structured as a figure that may be re-positioned separately from the flow of paragraph text.

Example 6
<figure id="fig1" role="figure region">
    <svg id="fig1A" class="nested-figure" role="figure"
         aria-labelledby="fig1-caption, fig1A-caption">
        <!-- markup omitted-->
    </svg>
    <svg id="fig1B" class="nested-figure" role="figure"
         aria-labelledby="fig1-caption, fig1B-caption">
        <linearGradient id="reflect" spreadMethod="reflect"
                        xlink:href="#repeat" />
        <text id="fig1B-caption" class="caption" dy="1em"
              >b) spreadMethod="reflect"</text>
        <rect role="img"
              y="25%" width="100%" height="75%" fill="url(#reflect)" >
            <title>A reflecting linear gradient</title>
            <desc>The gradient again starts dark, slowly shifting to light, 
              then quickly dark again.  However, the next repeat shifts
              quickly to the light, then slowly back dark.  
              The original pattern is then repeated, followed by the reflected
              version again.
            </desc>
        </rect>
    </svg>
    <figcaption id="fig1-caption"
                >Figure 1: Repeating SVG gradients</figcaption>
</figure>

Finally, the last version uses a graphics-doc to include complex annotations on the graphic, which is still contained within a figure element. The two sections of the graphic are graphics-object elements, while the annotations have individual labels and descriptions.

Example 7
<figure id="fig1" role="figure region">
    <svg role="graphics-doc">
        <title>Repeating versus reflecting linear gradients</title>
        <desc>
            The graphic shows two gradient patterns,
            annotated with text labels and arrows.
            Both gradients use the same series of color stops,
            starting dark, slowly shifting to light, 
            then quickly dark again.
            This cycle covers one-quarter of the width of the graphic,
            starting on the left.
            The two gradients differ in their repeat cycles.
        </desc>
        <defs>
            <!-- markup omitted -->
        </defs>
        <g role="graphics-object" aria-labelledby="repeat-label">
            <!-- markup omitted -->
        </g>            
        <g role="graphics-object" aria-labelledby="reflect-label">
            <desc>
                The gradient stretches across the bottom half of 
                the graphic.
                Each cycle of the gradient alternates direction,
                left-to-right then right-to-left,
                as do the arrows that emphasize the pattern.
            </desc>
            <rect y="50%" width="100%" height="50%" fill="url(#reflect)" />
            </rect>
            <use y="70%" xlink:href="#gradient-vector" >
                <title>1st cycle</title>
                <desc>left-to-right arrow, starting from x="0"</desc>
            </use>
            <use y="70%" x="-50%" transform="scale(-1,1)"
                 xlink:href="#gradient-vector" >
                <title>2nd cycle, reflected</title>
                <desc>right-to-left arrow, ending at x="25%"</desc>
            </use>
            <use y="70%" x="50%" xlink:href="#gradient-vector" >
                <title>3rd cycle</title>
                <desc>left-to-right arrow, starting from x="50%"</desc>
            </use>
            <use y="70%" x="-100%" transform="scale(-1,1)"
                 xlink:href="#gradient-vector" >
                <title>4th cycle, reflected</title>
                <desc>right-to-left arrow, ending at x="75%"</desc>
            </use>
            <text id="reflect-label" class="overlay-text" 
                  aria-label="spreadMethod='reflect'"
                  dy="-0.2em" dx="-0.2em" x="100%" y="100%"
                  >reflect</text>
        </g>
    </svg>
    <figcaption>Figure 1: spreadMethod options for
        repeating SVG gradients</figcaption>
</figure>
Editor's Note

Should we expand on the following example to demonstrate how canvas hit regions create a graphical document?

Example 8
<!-- Within the fallback DOM dynamically constructed
     for an HTML 5 canvas game,
     elements may represent the different images
     that create the composite graphic -->
<canvas role="graphics-doc">
    <p id="scene-desc" role="img" 
       aria-label="The Dungeon"
       aria-describedby="scene-desc">
       The door opens into a long hallway.
       Every few steps on either side are barred doors.
       Moisture drips from the stone walls.
    </p>
    <p id="grue-1" role="img"
       aria-label="Grue"
       aria-describedby="grue-1">
       An amorphous and poorly defined, but unmistakably sinister,
       creature blocks the passage.
   </p>
   <!-- more DOM elements representing game controls -->
</canvas>

5. States and Properties§

WAI-ARIA provides a collection of accessibility state and properties which are used to support platform accessibility APIs on various operating system platforms. Assistive technologies may access this information through an exposed user agent DOM or through a mapping to the platform accessibility API. When combined with roles, the user agent can supply the assistive technologies with user interface information to convey to the user at any time. Changes in states or properties will result in a notification to assistive technologies, which could alert the user that a change has occurred.

A. Schemata§

This section is non-normative.

The HTML Working Group has incorporated the WAI-ARIA attributes into HTML 5. Official support for WAI-ARIA in HTML is provided in that specification.

Editor's Note

Validation support for the roles defined in this module will be added once the specification reaches recommendation.

For information on incorporating WAI-ARIA into other grammars, refer to Appendix A of [WAI-ARIA]

Editor's Note

Review whether any additional schemata are necessary for this module.

B. Change Log§

A detailed history of changes committed is available from the github repository for this document. When drafts of this document begin to stabilise, human-readable change logs will be incorporated.

C. WAI-ARIA Role, State, and Property Quick Reference§

This section is non-normative.

The following table provides a quick reference to the supported states and properties for all WAI-ARIA roles that may be used in markup.

In addition to the states and properties shown in the table, the following global states and properties are supported on all roles.

Placeholder for global states and properties

Placeholder for quick reference table

D. Acknowledgments§

This section is non-normative.

The following people contributed to the development of this document.

D.1 Participants active in the SVG accessibility task force at the time of publication§

D.2 Participants active in the PFWG at the time of publication§

D.3 Enabling funders§

This publication has been funded in part with U.S. Federal funds from the Department of Education, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), initially under contract number ED-OSE-10-C-0067 and currently under contract number HHSP23301500054C. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

E. References§

E.1 Normative references§

[RFC2119]
S. Bradner. Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels. March 1997. Best Current Practice. URL: https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2119
[SVG2]
Nikos Andronikos; Tavmjong Bah; Brian Birtles; Cyril Concolato; Erik Dahlströmx; Chris Lilley; Cameron McCormack; Doug Schepers; Dirk Schulze; Richard Schwerdtfeger; Satoru Takagi; Jonathan Watt et al. Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 2. W3C Working Draft. URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/2014/WD-SVG2-20140211/
[WAI-ARIA]
James Craig; Michael Cooper; Shane McCarron et al. Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) 1.1. W3C Working Draft. URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-1.1/

E.2 Informative references§

[AT-SPI]
Assistive Technology Service Provider Interface. URL: https://developer.gnome.org/libatspi/stable/
[ATK]
ATK - Accessibility Toolkit. URL: https://developer.gnome.org/atk/stable/
[AXAPI]
The Mac OS X Accessibility Protocol Mac OS 10.10. URL: https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/Cocoa/Reference/ApplicationKit/Protocols/NSAccessibility_Protocol/index.html
[HTML5]
Ian Hickson; Robin Berjon; Steve Faulkner; Travis Leithead; Erika Doyle Navara; Edward O'Connor; Silvia Pfeiffer. HTML5. 28 October 2014. W3C Recommendation. URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/
[IAccessible2]
IAccessible2. URL: http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/accessibility/iaccessible2
[MSAA]
Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) 2.0. URL: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms697707.aspx
[SVG-AAM]
Amelia Bellamy-Royds; Richard Schwerdtfeger et al. SVG2 Accessibility API Mappings 1.0. W3C Working Draft. URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/svg-aam-1.0/
[UI-AUTOMATION]
UI Automation. URL: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee684009%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
[UIA-EXPRESS]
The IAccessibleEx Interface. URL: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dd561898%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
[WAI-ARIA-IMPLEMENTATION]
Joseph Scheuhammer; Michael Cooper. WAI-ARIA 1.0 User Agent Implementation Guide. 20 March 2014. W3C Recommendation. URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-implementation/
[WAI-ARIA-PRACTICES]
Joseph Scheuhammer; Michael Cooper. WAI-ARIA 1.0 Authoring Practices. 7 March 2013. W3C Working Draft. URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-practices/
[WCAG20]
Ben Caldwell; Michael Cooper; Loretta Guarino Reid; Gregg Vanderheiden et al. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. 11 December 2008. W3C Recommendation. URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/