This is amazing news in terms of WAI ARIA implementation !
The W3C defines ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) as a syntax for making dynamic Web content and custom UI accessible. Internet Explorer 8 uses ARIA role, state, and property information to communicate with assistive technologies. Instead of building separate simplified Web pages for accessibility, you can use ARIA to markup your rich Web applications with roles, states, and properties. For example, to match the behavior you create through script, you can define a DIV element as a button, checkbox, or another ARIA role.
Source: Internet Explorer 8 Readiness Toolkit
Rich Schwerdtfeger one the principle architects of the WAI ARIA specifications responded to the news on his blog:
I was elated to find that Microsoft has added support for WAI-ARIA in Internet Explorer 8. Although I am sure support is not complete, this is a statement of commitment by Microsoft and it gives the effort support by over 90 percent of the Web browsers.
The TPG team share Richs’ elation!
Further Reading
- Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 Whitepapers W3C’s ARIA Support
- Microsoft announces support for WAI-ARIA in IE 8 beta – Rich Schwerdtfeger
- Soporte para WAI-ARIA en Internet Explorer 8 – Alan Chuter
