Quick Reference
Element Code: AC-010
Issue: Invalid ARIA role values are being used
Impact: Assistive technologies ignore invalid roles entirely
Fix: Use only valid ARIA role values from the specification
Detection: axe DevTools, HTML validators, WAVE
What Is This Issue?
ARIA roles must match exactly from the list of valid roles. Typos, made-up roles, or deprecated roles are ignored by assistive technologies, providing no accessibility benefit.
Common Mistakes
- Typos: role="buton" instead of role="button"
- Made-up roles: role="container" (not a valid role)
- Case errors: role="Button" (roles are case-sensitive, must be lowercase)
- Deprecated roles that no longer work
Valid Role Categories
- Widget roles: button, checkbox, dialog, link, menuitem, tab, etc.
- Document structure: article, heading, img, list, listitem, etc.
- Landmark roles: banner, main, navigation, search, etc.
- Live region roles: alert, log, status, timer
TL;DR (The Simple Version)
You're using ARIA roles that don't exist. Check for typos and verify your roles match the ARIA specification exactly. Invalid roles are completely ignored by screen readers.
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