"It won't win me any favors but I think the issue here is simply an endemic skill and knowledge gap."
My problem with that is that, as you can hopefully see, I am very motivated to learn how to do this... and yet I have not managed to learn it.
"Learn how to do it" only works if there are clear and obvious resources we can point people to that will help them learn what the need to learn. The ARIA spec is not that.
This also feels like an inherently solvable problem, which is why I always take any opportunity to put it in front of people that might feel incentivized to help solve it.
There was a time when I didn't know anything about web accessibility. But I learned by reading, trying out small experiments, and using a screen reader to check my work. If I can do it, you can certainly do it.
> This also feels like an inherently solvable problem
It shouldn't, especially if you don't know anything about web accessibility. It's hubris to think that something we know nothing about should already have been solved, why hasn't it? Is everyone else just an idiot? No, of course not. It's a complex and nuanced problem. Not the basics like always put an `alt` attribute in your `img` tag, those things are easy. But when you insert dynamic updates with JavaScript into the mix, it gets more complex.
The thing I was describing as a solvable problem was the lack of easily discoverable, clear tutorials - especially for the various libraries and frameworks that encourage patterns like updating small areas of a page that can cause problems.
And yes, I agree it is not the clear and obvious resource we can point people.
We DO need better "guide" format documentation, rather than dry technical reference. Nearly everything I've seen online is in very poor shape or outright wrong.
I share your feeling that it is solvable, and I also hope that people will help solve it.
But I'm sure of one thing: the people who write that documentation will be familiar with the specifications and refer to them (among other sources) while writing.
An "Accessibility Book" (like sections of the Python and Django docs, or the Rustonomicon for unsafe Rust) would be a fantastic resource and I hope someone writes it.
My problem with that is that, as you can hopefully see, I am very motivated to learn how to do this... and yet I have not managed to learn it.
"Learn how to do it" only works if there are clear and obvious resources we can point people to that will help them learn what the need to learn. The ARIA spec is not that.
This also feels like an inherently solvable problem, which is why I always take any opportunity to put it in front of people that might feel incentivized to help solve it.