The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is pleased to announce the publication of two new web standards:
Digital Publishing WAI-ARIA Module 1.1 (DPUB-ARIA) and Digital Publishing Accessibility API Mappings 1.1 (DPUB-AAM).
These standards aim to improve the accessibility of digital publications, such as eBooks, for users with disability.
DPUB-ARIA defines a set of ARIA roles that help assistive technology users navigate complex digital documents. These roles enable users to better understand the structure of long-form content, making it easier to access and engage with.
DPUB-AAM, on the other hand, specifies how user agents (like eBook readers) map DPUB-ARIA markup to platform accessibility APIs. This ensures that digital publications are properly interpreted by assistive technologies, providing a more seamless user experience.
The latest versions of these standards include several key updates:
New roles: doc-page-header and doc-page-footer have been added to provide better support for digital publications.
Mapping updates: Changes have been made to accessibility application programming interfaces (APIs) to improve compatibility and functionality.
The W3C would like to extend its gratitude to all contributors who worked on these documents. The efforts of the ARIA Working Group, led by James Nurthen and Valerie Young, have resulted in these important new standards.
For more information on WAI-ARIA and digital publishing accessibility, please visit the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) website.