Embla Carousel A11y Plugin

An accessibility plugin for Embla Carousel that follows WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices for carousels.

Features

• Adds proper ARIA roles and attributes to carousel elements
• Creates an accessible live region to announce slide changes
• Respects user-provided ARIA attributes
• Shows helpful development warnings for accessibility improvements

Installation

# npm
npm install embla-carousel @bluecadet/embla-carousel-a11y

# yarn
yarn add embla-carousel @bluecadet/embla-carousel-a11y

# pnpm
pnpm add embla-carousel @bluecadet/embla-carousel-a11y

Basic Usage

import A11y from "@bluecadet/embla-carousel-a11y";
import EmblaCarousel from "embla-carousel";

// Initialize Embla with the A11y plugin
const emblaNode = document.querySelector(".embla");
const embla = EmblaCarousel(emblaNode, { loop: true }, [A11y()]);

// The plugin is accessible through embla.plugins().a11y
const a11yPlugin = embla.plugins().a11y;

API Reference

Options

The A11y plugin accepts the following options:

Option	Type	Default	Description
carouselLabel	string | undefined	undefined	A custom label for the carousel. If not provided, uses an existing aria-label or sets a default.
slideSelector	string | undefined	undefined	Custom selector for slide elements. If not provided, uses Embla's default slide nodes.
announceSlideChanges	boolean	true	Whether to announce slide changes to screen readers.
slideAnnouncementTemplate	string	"Slide {{currentSlide}} of {{totalSlides}}"	Template for slide change announcements. Use {{currentSlide}} and {{totalSlides}} as variables.
showDeveloperWarnings	boolean	true	Whether to show developer console warnings in non-production environments.

Plugin Methods

The A11y plugin exposes the following methods:

Method	Description
update()	Updates ARIA attributes based on the current carousel state. Called automatically when the selected slide changes.

Accessibility Features

This plugin implements the following accessibility features:

Proper ARIA Roles and Attributes

• Adds role="region" to the carousel container
• Adds aria-roledescription="carousel" to identify it as a carousel
• Adds proper aria-label (or respects existing labels)
• Adds role="group" and aria-roledescription="slide" to slides
• Applies aria-hidden="true" to non-visible slides
• Sets aria-setsize and aria-posinset for proper slide position information

Live Region for Announcements

• Creates a visually hidden live region for screen reader announcements
• Announces the current slide position when navigation occurs
• Uses customizable announcement templates

Respecting User Attributes

• Detects existing ARIA attributes provided by the user before initialization
• Preserves these attributes instead of overriding them
• Only updates dynamic attributes like aria-hidden as needed

Development Warnings

In development mode, the plugin provides helpful console warnings for accessibility improvements:

• Warns when no accessible name (label) is provided for the carousel
• Suggests adding descriptive labels to slides
• Can be disabled in production or via options

Best Practices for Accessible Carousels

For maximum accessibility, we recommend:

1. Provide meaningful labels: Use the carouselLabel option or add aria-label attributes to your carousel and slides with descriptive content.

<div class="embla" aria-label="Featured products">
  <div class="embla__container">
    <div class="embla__slide" aria-label="Red summer dress, $49.99">...</div>
    <div class="embla__slide" aria-label="Blue winter coat, $89.99">...</div>
  </div>
</div>

2. Add accessible navigation controls: Include Previous/Next buttons with proper labels.

<button class="embla__prev" aria-label="Previous slide">Prev</button>
<div class="embla">...</div>
<button class="embla__next" aria-label="Next slide">Next</button>

3. Pause autoplay on interaction: If using autoplay, pause it when users interact with the carousel.

const options = {
  loop: true,
  autoplay: true,
};

const embla = EmblaCarousel(emblaNode, options, [A11y()]);

// Pause autoplay on focus within the carousel
emblaNode.addEventListener("focusin", () => {
  embla.plugins().autoplay.stop();
});

// Resume when focus leaves
emblaNode.addEventListener("focusout", (event) => {
  if (!emblaNode.contains(event.relatedTarget)) {
    embla.plugins().autoplay.play();
  }
});

Why Accessibility Matters

Making your carousel accessible ensures that:

• Users with screen readers can understand and navigate your content
• Keyboard-only users can access all carousel features
• Your site complies with accessibility standards like WCAG
• You reach a wider audience, including people with disabilities

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.