Create address role

[jnurthen]

per plans for role parity need a role for equivalent to <address> in HTML

[pkra]

Since address has a default role=group, does it need a dedicated role?

[joanmarie]

Since address has a default role=group, does it need a dedicated role?

If you look at the HTML-AAM, you'll notice the role is the platform equivalent for group (e.g. AXGroup, ATK_ROLE_SECTION). However, each platform is also exposing the address as a property. See https://w3c.github.io/html-aam/#el-address.

The assumption -- which may be bogus -- is that ATs might have a need to distinguish address from div (a generic group-type object) BUT lack the accessibility API to express it through a dedicated role. Thus they use a property instead. If this is indeed the case, then, yeah, I think we need a dedicated ARIA role, which we would expose via platform accessibility APIs via a property.

That said, it's not clear to me why an AT would need that. I don't do anything with it in Orca (which might be a horrible failing on my part). My assumption is that it's obvious from the content that an address is an address, and that there is no desire to speak/braille the fact that something is an address, nor a desire to provide navigation amongst addresses. If what I say in this paragraph is the case, then that would suggest the exposure in the HTML-AAM is unnecessary. And if that's the case, then the HTML-AAM might be in need of some updating. And then, no, we probably wouldn't need a dedicated role.

I wonder if @stevefaulkner and/or @scottaohara (Editors of the HTML-AAM) could provide us with some insight.

[pkra]

Thanks for the pointers, @joanmarie!

[joanmarie]

Thanks for questioning our decision @pkra! Because it appears that you are indeed correct. See this Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/stevefaulkner/status/1100370102879440897

[pkra]

Ah, birdsite did not notify me - thanks for checking, @joanmarie!

[jnurthen]

Closing as decided this will be a generic