diff --git a/packages/button/src/LionButton.js b/packages/button/src/LionButton.js
index 320d967df..4622dbb65 100644
--- a/packages/button/src/LionButton.js
+++ b/packages/button/src/LionButton.js
@@ -8,6 +8,14 @@ export class LionButton extends DelegateMixin(SlotMixin(LionLitElement)) {
         type: Boolean,
         reflect: true,
       },
+      role: {
+        type: String,
+        reflect: true,
+      },
+      tabindex: {
+        type: Number,
+        reflect: true,
+      },
     };
   }
 
@@ -93,10 +101,10 @@ export class LionButton extends DelegateMixin(SlotMixin(LionLitElement)) {
     ];
   }
 
-  update(changedProperties) {
-    super.update(changedProperties);
-    if (changedProperties.has('disabled')) {
-      this.__onDisabledChanged();
+  _requestUpdate(name, oldValue) {
+    super._requestUpdate(name, oldValue);
+    if (name === 'disabled') {
+      this.__onDisabledChanged(oldValue);
     }
   }
 
@@ -125,12 +133,13 @@ export class LionButton extends DelegateMixin(SlotMixin(LionLitElement)) {
   constructor() {
     super();
     this.disabled = false;
+    this.role = 'button';
+    this.tabindex = 0;
     this.__keydownDelegationHandler = this.__keydownDelegationHandler.bind(this);
   }
 
   connectedCallback() {
     super.connectedCallback();
-    this.__setupA11y();
     this.__setupKeydownDelegation();
   }
 
@@ -144,11 +153,6 @@ export class LionButton extends DelegateMixin(SlotMixin(LionLitElement)) {
     this.$$slot('_button').click();
   }
 
-  __setupA11y() {
-    this.setAttribute('role', 'button');
-    this.setAttribute('tabindex', this.disabled ? -1 : 0);
-  }
-
   __setupKeydownDelegation() {
     this.addEventListener('keydown', this.__keydownDelegationHandler);
   }
@@ -167,6 +171,11 @@ export class LionButton extends DelegateMixin(SlotMixin(LionLitElement)) {
   }
 
   __onDisabledChanged() {
-    this.setAttribute('tabindex', this.disabled ? -1 : 0);
+    if (this.disabled) {
+      this.__originalTabIndex = this.tabindex;
+      this.tabindex = -1;
+    } else {
+      this.tabindex = this.__originalTabIndex;
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/button/test/lion-button.test.js b/packages/button/test/lion-button.test.js
index aa5c82534..8583aefa5 100644
--- a/packages/button/test/lion-button.test.js
+++ b/packages/button/test/lion-button.test.js
@@ -6,43 +6,87 @@ import '../lion-button.js';
 
 describe('lion-button', () => {
   it('behaves like native `button` in terms of a11y', async () => {
-    const lionButton = await fixture(`<lion-button>foo</lion-button>`);
-    expect(lionButton.getAttribute('role')).to.equal('button');
-    expect(lionButton.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('0');
+    const el = await fixture(`<lion-button>foo</lion-button>`);
+    expect(el.getAttribute('role')).to.equal('button');
+    expect(el.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('0');
   });
 
   it('has no type by default on the native button', async () => {
-    const lionButton = await fixture(`<lion-button>foo</lion-button>`);
-    const nativeButton = lionButton.$$slot('_button');
+    const el = await fixture(`<lion-button>foo</lion-button>`);
+    const nativeButton = el.$$slot('_button');
     expect(nativeButton.getAttribute('type')).to.be.null;
   });
 
   it('has type="submit" on the native button when set', async () => {
-    const lionButton = await fixture(`<lion-button type="submit">foo</lion-button>`);
-    const nativeButton = lionButton.$$slot('_button');
+    const el = await fixture(`<lion-button type="submit">foo</lion-button>`);
+    const nativeButton = el.$$slot('_button');
     expect(nativeButton.getAttribute('type')).to.equal('submit');
   });
 
   it('hides the native button in the UI', async () => {
-    const lionButton = await fixture(`<lion-button>foo</lion-button>`);
-    const nativeButton = lionButton.$$slot('_button');
+    const el = await fixture(`<lion-button>foo</lion-button>`);
+    const nativeButton = el.$$slot('_button');
     expect(nativeButton.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('-1');
     expect(window.getComputedStyle(nativeButton).visibility).to.equal('hidden');
   });
 
   it('can be disabled imperatively', async () => {
-    const lionButton = await fixture(`<lion-button disabled>foo</lion-button>`);
-    expect(lionButton.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('-1');
+    const el = await fixture(`<lion-button disabled>foo</lion-button>`);
+    expect(el.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('-1');
 
-    lionButton.disabled = false;
-    await lionButton.updateComplete;
-    expect(lionButton.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('0');
-    expect(lionButton.hasAttribute('disabled')).to.equal(false);
+    el.disabled = false;
+    await el.updateComplete;
+    expect(el.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('0');
+    expect(el.hasAttribute('disabled')).to.equal(false);
 
-    lionButton.disabled = true;
-    await lionButton.updateComplete;
-    expect(lionButton.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('-1');
-    expect(lionButton.hasAttribute('disabled')).to.equal(true);
+    el.disabled = true;
+    await el.updateComplete;
+    expect(el.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('-1');
+    expect(el.hasAttribute('disabled')).to.equal(true);
+  });
+
+  describe('a11y', () => {
+    it('has a role="button" by default', async () => {
+      const el = await fixture(`<lion-button>foo</lion-button>`);
+      expect(el.getAttribute('role')).to.equal('button');
+      el.role = 'foo';
+      await el.updateComplete;
+      expect(el.getAttribute('role')).to.equal('foo');
+    });
+
+    it('does not override user provided role', async () => {
+      const el = await fixture(`<lion-button role="foo">foo</lion-button>`);
+      expect(el.getAttribute('role')).to.equal('foo');
+    });
+
+    it('has a tabindex="0" by default', async () => {
+      const el = await fixture(`<lion-button>foo</lion-button>`);
+      expect(el.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('0');
+    });
+
+    it('has a tabindex="-1" when disabled', async () => {
+      const el = await fixture(`<lion-button disabled>foo</lion-button>`);
+      expect(el.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('-1');
+      el.disabled = false;
+      await el.updateComplete;
+      expect(el.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('0');
+      el.disabled = true;
+      await el.updateComplete;
+      expect(el.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('-1');
+    });
+
+    it('does not override user provided tabindex', async () => {
+      const el = await fixture(`<lion-button tabindex="5">foo</lion-button>`);
+      expect(el.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('5');
+    });
+
+    it('disabled does not override user provided tabindex', async () => {
+      const el = await fixture(`<lion-button tabindex="5" disabled>foo</lion-button>`);
+      expect(el.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('-1');
+      el.disabled = false;
+      await el.updateComplete;
+      expect(el.getAttribute('tabindex')).to.equal('5');
+    });
   });
 
   describe('form integration', () => {