Enhancing Accessibility for Screen Reader Users with ARIA

By Nate K. | Published Aug 30, 2025 | 5 min read

WAI-ARIA (Web Accessibility Initiative – Accessible Rich Internet Applications) is a technical specification from the W3C designed to enhance the accessibility of web content and UI components for people with disabilities, especially those using screen readers.

An ARIA Backstory

Screen readers are among the most widely used assistive technologies and help people with low or no vision navigate the web. ARIA adds semantic meaning to generic HTML (like <div> elements) and dynamic content, improving the likelihood that screen readers can interpret and announce it correctly.

Before semantic HTML elements like <nav> or <header> were widely supported, developers often used <div>s styled with classes to mimic structural elements. Visually this looked fine, but it lacked meaning for assistive technologies. Screen readers rely on semantic information to identify the element type and purpose during navigation.

Using semantic HTML and ARIA makes it much easier for people relying on assistive technologies to understand and interact with content.

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Using ARIA Roles and Attributes to Create Context

ARIA Roles — Provide semantic meaning to custom or interactive elements, helping screen readers interpret and present them in a way that is structurally accurate and understandable.

ARIA Attributes — Modify an element’s state or properties in the accessibility tree. ARIA attributes are grouped by type and each serves a unique role in communicating more context to assistive technologies.

Implementing ARIA correctly can have a big impact on user experience for people with disabilities — especially when dynamic interactions or custom UIs are involved.

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ARIA Attribute Example

When using semantic HTML isn’t sufficient, ARIA attributes fill in the gaps. Consider a dropdown navigation menu. A screen reader might not otherwise communicate whether a menu item is expanded or collapsed.

For example, a screen reader might verbalize:

“Exhibitions and events, collapsed, button”

This gives users clear context that:

• the menu item is a button,
• it has submenu content,
• it is currently collapsed.

In this case, using aria-expanded tells assistive technologies whether the control is expanded:

<button aria-expanded="true">Exhibitions and events</button>

When implemented this way, screen readers announce the expanded/collapsed state, which enhances usability for navigation.

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ARIA Role Example

An element with a role can communicate structural semantics directly to assistive technologies. Using a native <header> tag automatically gives screen readers a “banner” landmark. Alternatively, explicitly setting role="banner" on a container helps define a region on the page:

<header role="banner">
	<!-- header content -->
</header>

This gives screen reader users a recognizable section for orientation and navigation.

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ARIA State Properties

ARIA state properties describe dynamic conditions of an interface — especially when content changes in response to user interaction.

Examples include:

• aria-checked — indicates whether a checkbox is selected
• aria-expanded — shows whether a collapsible region is open
• aria-selected — marks whether an item in a group (like a list or tabs) is selected

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ARIA State Property Example

For form controls or custom component interactions, ARIA attributes help screen reader users understand state changes.

On some websites, selected options might be visually indicated (e.g., a colored border). For assistive technologies, an aria-label attribute can provide clear textual feedback — such as “Protein: Chicken selected” — making the UI understandable without sight.

Alternatively, using aria-selected on a list item communicates selection state to assistive technologies.

<ul role="listbox">
	<li aria-selected="true">Chicken</li>
</ul>

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Conclusion

ARIA properties serve many use cases. When implemented correctly, they ensure that every user can navigate websites and apps with ease and context, regardless of ability.