Windows Browsers Summary - Firefox has the best HTML5 Accessibility Support Score

HTML5 Accessibility Support Score

  • Chrome 24/100
  • Firefox   92/100
  • Internet Explorer  22/100
  • Opera 18/100
  • Safari/Webkit  18/100

Mac Browsers Summary - Safari has the best HTML5 Accessibility Support Score

HTML5 Accessibility Support Score

 

Overview

This site is a resource to provide information about which new HTML5 user interface features are accessibility supported in browsers, making them usable by people who rely upon assistive technology (AT) to use the web.

Note: Browser's may not have practical accessibility support for HTML features on particular operating systems. Refer to Rough Guide: browsers, operating systems and screen reader support for details.

It is not intended to dissuade developers from using new HTML5 features. Sometimes there are better choices, sometimes developers have to add a little extra to make the feature useful or usable, and other times features have simply not been implemented by any browser or only by browsers that do not yet support assistive technologies. As a consequence it may not yet be practical to use a particular HTML5 feature. Example work arounds for lack of implementation or lack of accessible implementation are linked from the Solutions page.

The information in the support table is updated on a semi-regular basis, to keep up with support improvements made in browsers as new versions are released.

Support Tables - Legend & notes

Windows browsers - Details

New HTML5 feature accessibility support in Windows Browsers
new HTML5 elements Chrome 17.0.963.46 beta-m Firefox 11.0a2 IE 9 Opera 11.61 Safari/
Webkit r105476		 Notes
article element

IE/Opera/Safari: provide the same amount of semantic information to AT as a div element

Chrome: exposes element with a section role in IA2

Firefox: exposes element with a document role in MSAA/IA2

aside element

IE/Opera/Safari: provide the same amount of semantic information to AT as a div element.

Chrome: exposes element with a section role in IA2

Firefox: exposes as ARIA role="complementary" via IA2 object attribute and IA2 note role.

audio element

Firefox:

  • Exposes controls via accessibility APIs, but individual controls cannot be interacted with via the keyboard.
  • keyboard access is provided via Firefox specific shortcuts
  • Exposes element name as an IA2 object attribute
  • role=grouping

Opera: has keyboard support, but no AT support.

 

IE 9:

  • Exposes controls via accessibility APIs, but individual controls cannot be interacted with via the keyboard.
  • default accessible name of 'audio'
  • role=grouping

Refer to: Keyboard access for HTML5 video for more information.
canvas element

Internet Explorer 9: supports the accessible canvas element sub-DOM, but not caret or focus exposure.
datalist element

Opera: keyboard accessible.

Firefox: keyboard accessible. list items exposed correctly, but presence of datalist not indicated when focus is on the edit box, (suggest text field should be exposed as a combobox or presence of list indicated by haspopup property)

Chrome: keyboard accessible. Does not expose datalist as list, does not convey presence of data list from the edit box
details element

Currently provides the same amount of semantic information to AT as a div element.

Chrome & Webkit: implemented, but no keyboard or AT support.

 
figcaption element

Currently provides the same amount of semantic information to AT as a div element.

Firefox: exposes element as Ia" caption role and the element name as an IA2 object attribute, exposes the figcaption content as an accessible name for its parent figure.
figure element not supported

IE/Opera/Safari: provide the same amount of semantic information to AT as a div element

Chrome: exposes element with a section role in IA2

Firefox: exposes element role=group with accessible name from figcaption.
footer element

IE/Opera/Safari: provide the same amount of semantic information to AT as a div element

Chrome: exposes element with a section role in IA2

Firefox: exposes as ARIA landmark role="contentinfo" Refer to HTML5 Accessibility Chops: section elements
header element

IE/Opera/Safari: provide the same amount of semantic information to AT as a div element

Chrome: exposes element with a section role in IA2

Firefox: exposes element name via IA2 object attribute.

hgroup element

not implemented
color input Opera: keyboard accessible, but no information exposed to assistive technology.
Date input

Opera: date picker cannot be activated using the keybaord, no information exposed to assistive technology.
Date and Time input

Opera: date picker cannot be activated using the keybaord, no information exposed to assistive technology.

 
Local Date and Time input

Opera: date picker cannot be activated using the keybaord, no information exposed to assistive technology.

 
E-mail input ? mostly not implemented.
Month input

Opera: date picker cannot be activated using the keybaord, no information exposed to assistive technology.

 
Number input

Opera: keyboard accessible.

Chrome : keyboard accessible, role exposed as edit box should be spinbutton.

Safari: keyboard support.
Range input

Chrome: correct role, full keyboard support, slider value exposed.

Opera: no role, partial keyboard support, slider value not exposed.

Safari: partial keyboard support.
Search input The difference between input type="search" and type="text" is 'primarily stylistic'.
Telephone input ?
Time input

Opera: keyboard accessible.

Chrome: keyboard accessible, role exposed as edit box should be spinbutton
URL input ?
Week input

Opera: date picker cannot be activated using the keybaord, no information exposed to assistive technology.

Chrome : keyboard accessible, role exposed as edit box should be spinbutton
menu > context menu Firefox:
menu> list not implemented
menu > toolbar not implemented
meter element

Chrome: name, role, properties not exposed.

Opera:name, role, properties not exposed.
nav element

IE/Opera/Safari: provide the same amount of semantic information to AT as a div element.

Chrome: exposes element with a section role in IA2

Firefox: exposes as ARIA landmark role="navigation" via IA2 object attribute, and as a section role in IA2 (Unsure about the correctness of this mapping). Refer to HTML5 Accessibility Chops: section elements
output element
Firefox: accessibility support implemented - IA2 section role, with aria-live=polite and hasIA2 controlled_by relation defined by @for attribute.
progress element

Chrome: exposes name role, state and value correctly!

Opera: name, role and state content not exposed.

Firefox: exposes name role, state and value correctly!
section element

IE/Opera/Safari: provide the same amount of semantic information to AT as a div element

Chrome: exposes element with a section role in IA2

Firefox: exposes element with a paragraph role in IA2 (Unsure about the correctness of this mapping). Refer to HTML5 Accessibility Chops: section elements
summary element

IE/Opera/Safari: provide the same amount of semantic information to AT as a div element

Chrome: no keyboard access. Exposes element with a section role in IA2. no state or name information exposed.

Webkit:no keyboard access. No role/name/state information exposed.
video element

Firefox: keyboard support suboptimal - cannot interact with individual controls.

Opera: has keyboard support, but no AT support.

IE 9: keyboard support suboptimal - cannot interact with individual controls

Refer to: Keyboard access for HTML5 video for more information about keyboard access.