ARIA Labels Accessibility Checker

WCAG 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value, Level A) requires that for all user interface components, the name (accessible label), role (what type of element it is), and value/state (current status) can be programmatically determined and set. This is how assistive technologies understand your interface. When a screen reader encounters a button, it must be able to announce: what type of element it is (role: button), what it does (name: "Submit Order"), and its current state (value: disabled/enabled). ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes provide these semantics for custom widgets that HTML alone cannot express. However, the WebAIM Million study finds ARIA misuse on 69% of home pages — often making accessibility worse. The first rule of ARIA is: if you can use native HTML, do not use ARIA.

Key ARIA attributes for meeting 4.1.2:

• aria-label: Provides an accessible name directly. <button aria-label="Close dialog"><svg>...</svg></button> — use when visible text is absent
• aria-labelledby: References another element's ID for the accessible name. <input aria-labelledby="qty-label"> with <span id="qty-label">Quantity</span> — use when the label exists visually but is not programmatically associated
• aria-describedby: Adds supplementary description. <input aria-describedby="pwd-hint"> with <span id="pwd-hint">Must be 8+ characters</span>
• role: Defines what the element is. <div role="alert">, <nav role="navigation">, <div role="tabpanel">
• aria-expanded, aria-selected, aria-checked: Communicate current state. <button aria-expanded="false">Menu</button> — must be updated dynamically via JavaScript

The accessible name computation follows a specific algorithm: aria-labelledby > aria-label > native label (for/id, label wrapping) > title > placeholder. Understanding this priority order prevents conflicts.

ARIA misuse is rampant and harmful:

• Redundant roles on native elements: <button role="button"> is redundant — <button> already has an implicit button role. Worse: <a role="button"> changes the link's semantics and confuses users expecting link behavior
• Invalid ARIA attributes: <div aria-expanded="true"> on a non-interactive element is invalid. Only elements with appropriate roles support aria-expanded
• Missing required children: <ul role="tablist"> requires children with role="tab". Missing required owned elements breaks the accessibility tree
• aria-label on non-interactive elements: <p aria-label="summary"> is ignored by most screen readers — aria-label generally works only on interactive elements and landmarks
• Stale ARIA states: aria-expanded="false" on a menu that is visually open. JavaScript must update ARIA states to match the visual state in real-time

CompliScan uses axe-core's comprehensive ARIA rule set to detect violations including: elements with invalid ARIA roles, required ARIA attributes missing from widgets, ARIA attributes used on elements that do not support them, conflicting accessible names (aria-label contradicting visible text), missing accessible names on interactive elements, and invalid ARIA value types. Each finding includes the specific ARIA rule violated, the element in question, and an AI-generated fix. For example, CompliScan might detect a custom dropdown with role="listbox" but no aria-activedescendant and suggest the exact attribute addition needed. Automated ARIA testing catches a significant portion of issues since ARIA correctness is largely a structural, machine-verifiable property. For the European Accessibility Act and ADA Title II deadline of April 24, 2026, correct ARIA implementation is essential. Start with a free CompliScan scan to audit your ARIA usage across your entire site.