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Blockly

EDTECH
Velocity5.0

Visual block-based programming editor library for education

developers.google.com/blockly ↗

Accessibility moved from plugin to core, and v13 is now being hardened around that default.

accessibilitykeyboard-navigationscreenreaderperformanceinternationalizationbreaking-changes
◆Current state
Blockly shipped v13.0.0 in mid-June: keyboard navigation and screenreader support are on by default, and the separate keyboard-navigation plugin is folded into core and meant to be uninstalled. The two point releases since have been consolidation — a FOCUSABLE capability on IComponent, paste-near-focus, more navigation shortcuts, and a long tail of ARIA-label fixes. The v13 line arrived through nine betas, several of them carrying breaking changes that forced custom blocks and fields to declare their own roles and labels.
◆Where it's heading
The work is shifting from making accessibility correct to making it fast and localizable. v13.2.0 rewrites insertion markers for performance and memory-leak reasons, exposes setAriaTypeName on fields, and allows translated field labels — the first release in this window where the accessibility surface is being tuned rather than built. Invalid-input handling that no longer relies on color alone points the same direction: the a11y pass is now reaching the visual layer, not just the ARIA tree.
◆Prediction
Expect continued 13.x point releases in the same shape — ARIA and focus-behavior fixes plus targeted performance work on drag and rendering paths, with translation coverage extending to more built-in block strings.

◆Recent moves

  1. 4d ago

    Insertion markers rewritten; field labels now translatable

    The first v13 release that optimizes rather than extends the accessibility work: insertion markers are rewritten to fix performance and memory leaks, and field labels can now be translated. Invalid-input states gain a non-color visual treatment, closing an a11y gap in the rendering layer rather than the ARIA tree.

    View source ↗
  2. 25d ago

    Fixes delete-area hit testing at non-default zoom

    A single-fix patch correcting delete-area hit testing when the workspace is zoomed. Housekeeping on the v13.1 line with no change to the accessibility surface.

    View source ↗
  3. 1mo ago

    Focusable components and paste-near-focus land in 13.1

    The first substantive follow-up to v13.0.0, generalizing focus into a FOCUSABLE capability on IComponent and adding keyboard behaviors users would expect once navigation is the default — paste lands near the focused block, with optional shortcuts for moving around blocks and the workspace. Consolidation of the v13 model rather than new ground.

    View source ↗
  4. 1mo ago

    Keyboard navigation and screenreader support on by default

    ⚡ SPARK

    The release the entire beta train was building toward, and the pivot point for everything after it: accessibility stops being opt-in. Every later entry in this window is either hardening or optimizing what this release made the default.

    View source ↗
  5. 1mo ago

    Beta 9 trims build size and adds block role descriptions

    A late beta balancing the two costs of the v13 push: verbose block labels gain role descriptions for screenreaders, while an added build flag reduces bundle size. Focus-loss and label-fallback fixes continue tightening the ARIA work before GA.

    View source ↗
  6. 2mo ago

    Beta 8: two fallback-behavior fixes

    A two-fix beta refining fallback behavior for custom input labels and initial focus candidates. Routine stabilization on the road to v13.0.0.

    View source ↗