The more i look at ARIA the more it seems to be "just use semantic HTML". and one exception:

The first rule of ARIA is "If you can use a native HTML element or attribute with the semantics and behavior you require already built in, instead of repurposing an element and adding an ARIA role, state or property to make it accessible, then do so." aria-disabled is an exception to that rule. It is one of the only cases where an ARIA attribute may be better than the native disabled attribute HTML equivalent.