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Re: WCAG and role="presentation"

for

From: Birkir R. Gunnarsson
Date: Aug 23, 2017 7:28AM

Well put Brian.
Let's also keep in mind that using role="presentation" is easy.
You add this attribute where appropriate. It does not trigger
additional functionality testing(except with a screen reader) and it
does not change the webpage appearance so you don't have to get
designers involved.

And if you are consistently using a semantic element to achieve a
certain appearance (or for other non semantic purposes), you really
should take a look at the design in general (if you have that luxury)
to figure out why. It may have other consequences, or break after user
agent updates.



On 8/23/17, Lovely, Brian (CONT) via WebAIM-Forum
< <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> I would call out a page for a table containing non-tabular data.
>
> The role of presentation strips an element of its semantic meaning
> (essentially converting it to the equivalent of a non-semantic container
> like a div or span). The semantic meaning of elements is an important part
> of accessibility, particularly actionable elements. Use of the correct
> semantic element provides information about the type of information
> presented, and how the element can be successfully interacted with. I'm not
> always a "slippery slope" kind of guy, but once you start to erode the trust
> in the semantic information you present, the user really doesn't know what
> to expect and must take the extra time and energy to determine if elements
> are actually what they are presenting themselves to be, and if those
> elements actually behave as expected.
>
>