ARIA heading role: aria-level is required #39482
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See the [ARIA 1.3 specification for heading](https://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-1.3/#heading): > To ensure elements with a role of heading are organized into a logical outline, authors MUST use the aria-level attribute to indicate the proper nesting level.
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defaulting to a level of 2 is how the role was previously spec'd, and it is what browsers are instructed to do to mitigate author error for not requiring a level. see in section 9.2 States and Properties, the Fallback values for missing required attributes table. it's listed there that level 2 is the fallback value for an undefined aria-level on an element with a role of heading |
estelle
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May 15, 2025
| @@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ This defines the text in the `<div>` to be the main heading of the page, indicat | |||
| ### Associated WAI-ARIA roles, states, and properties | |||
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| - [`aria-level`](/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Reference/Attributes/aria-level) | |||
| - : The `aria-level` attribute specifies the heading level in the document structure. If no level is present, a value of 2 is the default. | |||
| - : The `aria-level` attribute specifies the heading level in the document structure. This attribute is required: authors must indicate the proper nesting level, to ensure elements with a role of heading are organized into a logical outline. | |||
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Suggested change
| - : The `aria-level` attribute specifies the heading level in the document structure. This attribute is required: authors must indicate the proper nesting level, to ensure elements with a role of heading are organized into a logical outline. | |
| - : The `aria-level` attribute specifies the heading level in the document structure. This attribute is required: authors must indicate the proper nesting level to ensure elements with a `role` of `heading` are organized into a logical outline. |
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Thanks for the explanation, @scottohara. I will update the pull request with an explanation that, if the required attribute is not specified, then a fallback value of 2 will be specified. |
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Description
Changes the description of the ARIA heading role’s aria-level attribute to state that it is required, rather than stating that it defaults to 2.
Motivation
See the ARIA 1.3 specification for heading:
Additional details
The MDN page on the aria-level role already states that the heading role is required.
I’m not sure where the “If no level is present, a value of 2 is the default” claim comes from.
Related issues and pull requests
None.