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Update aria-busy to reflect relaxed accessibility child constraints when true #2754

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Update aria-busy to reflect relaxed accessibility child constraints when true #2754

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aria-busy update to clarify allowed content when true
giacomo-petri Mar 20, 2026
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giacomo-petri Apr 9, 2026
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Merge branch 'main' into giacomo-petri-aria-busy-update
daniel-montalvo May 18, 2026
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9 changes: 5 additions & 4 deletions index.html
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Expand Up @@ -12642,10 +12642,11 @@ <h2>Definitions of States and Properties (all aria-* attributes)</h2>
user-initiated changes that occur inside the <rref>article</rref> that the user is reading during the busy period.
</p>
<p>
If changes to a rendered <rref>widget</rref> would create a state where the <rref>widget</rref> is modifying <a href="#mustContain">Allowed Accessibility Child Roles</a> during script
execution, authors MAY set <code>aria-busy</code> to <code>true</code> on the <rref>widget</rref> during the update process. For example, if a rendered tree grid required a set of
simultaneous updates to multiple discontiguous branches, an alternative to replacing the complete tree element with a single update would be to mark the tree busy while each of the
branches are modified.
If changes to a rendered <rref>widget</rref> would create a state where the <rref>widget</rref> is modifying <a>accessibility children</a> during script
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execution, authors MAY set <code>aria-busy</code> to <code>true</code> on the <rref>widget</rref> during the update process. While <code>aria-busy</code> is set to <code>true</code>,
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the <rref>widget</rref> MAY temporarily contain invalid <a>accessibility children</a>. Authors MUST set <code>aria-busy</code> back to <code>false</code> once the update is complete.

@pkra pkra Mar 20, 2026

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The new MUST statement seems problematic to me. It does not seem testable since "once the update is complete" is an author decision.

I think it's more important to explain what happens when authors do not do this (e.g. AT may ignore the content marked busy).

I think a note, possibly including a warning on potential WCAG failures.

@pkra pkra Mar 20, 2026

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In that case, I'd move the example into the note.

@mcking65 mcking65 Mar 26, 2026

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I agree that the author MUST is not testable with an automated static or generic test. However, I believe it is testable. I proposed some revisions to the wording that I believe could improve clarity and thus testability.

I think a clear, normative authoring requirement is of this nature is important.

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For example, if a rendered tree grid required a set of simultaneous updates to multiple discontiguous branches, an alternative to replacing the complete tree element with a single update
would be to mark the tree busy while each of the branches are modified, and set <code>aria-busy</code> to <code>false</code> once all updates are complete.
</p>
</div>
<table class="def">
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