When using ARIA roles, what is essential to maintain?

• A. Convert all elements to ARIA roles
• B. Maintain a logical DOM order and add ARIA only when necessary
• C. Use ARIA roles to replace native semantics
• D. Ignore keyboard navigation

Answer: (B)

AR IA roles are there to augment, not replace, native semantics. The essential practice is to keep the document in a logical order and add ARIA roles only when they provide meaning that native elements don’t convey. A logical DOM order helps assistive technologies read content in the way it’s visually presented, so users depending on screen readers get a predictable, coherent experience. Adding ARIA only when necessary avoids duplicating information or conflicting with built-in semantics, and it preserves native keyboard and focus behavior. Conversely, converting every element to ARIA roles or using ARIA to replace native semantics can weaken accessibility, and ignoring keyboard navigation defeats the purpose of making content accessible.