Enhanced contrast, Landmark elements & Roles marked up – 2nd batch of enhancements under 508 Compliance.

1st Batch of enhancements: Click here to view the Release notes

Released on: 7 March 2024 

Invalid ARIA roles removed

When screen readers and other assistive technologies do not know the role of each element on the web page, they are not able to interact with it intelligently, nor are they able to communicate the role to the user. An element's features, properties, and methods of conveying information to and/or from the user can't be communicated via assistive technologies when a role value is invalid. Thus, this release ensures that all elements with a role attribute use a valid value.

Use of proper landmark elements

Landmarks such as header, footer, navigation, main, etc. help screen reader users navigate and orient themselves on a page. Also, screen readers announce landmarks so users understand the functionality and context of the content. Sighted users can use location or color information to distinguish these sections of a page. For screen-reader users, landmarks provide this important context.
Thus, proper landmark elements are now used for high-level application structure.

Low contrast on active controls

To support those with low vision, standard contrast to be implemented for active icons and controls. This enhancement ensures that all text elements & icons' contrast is as per the standard - 4:5:1

Detailed View Editor – ARIA roles marked up as per standards

Entity Views are now properly marked up as "dialog". As a result of this enhancement, the screen reader users will be able to access content that is not interactive.

What's Next? 

Upcoming Releases:

1. Proper landmark elements for "Main Search" & "Left Menu": This release will ensure that proper landmark elements are user main search & left menu. 
2. Enhanced contrast on icons
3. Tooltip content to be accessible without mouse: Tooltip contents with help will be keyboard-accessible