@longdesk Excluded from HTML5

The longdesc attribute, a little-used attribute to describe images in more detail that can be accomplished using the alt attribute alone, has been removed from the HTML5 specification by the HTML5 Working Group. This decision was made despite the recommendations by the HTML Accessibility Task Force to include the attribute.


Introduced in the HTML4 specification, longdesc never received broad attention by the development community. An alternative to longdesc may be the ARIA aria-describedby attribute; indeed, this alternative was cited as one reason not to include longdesc in the specification.

HTML language specifications are not made in a vacuum, though the decision process may seem to reflect that belief. It has to be wondered how requirements for longdesc embodied in the WAI guidelines, Section 508 standards, and a host of international and organizational standards will cause confusion because of the lack of longdesk support.

There is at least one formal objection made against the decision. So, after worry and fret, perhaps longdesc will live after all.