diff --git a/specs/Modal.spec.js b/specs/Modal.spec.js
index 60836313..44dfbe2c 100644
--- a/specs/Modal.spec.js
+++ b/specs/Modal.spec.js
@@ -100,6 +100,92 @@ export default () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("restores each app element's original aria-hidden value", () => {
+    withElementCollector(() => {
+      const visible = createHTMLElement("div");
+      const hidden = createHTMLElement("div");
+      const explicitFalse = createHTMLElement("div");
+      const node = createHTMLElement("div");
+      hidden.setAttribute("aria-hidden", "true");
+      explicitFalse.setAttribute("aria-hidden", "false");
+      const targets = [visible, hidden, explicitFalse];
+
+      ReactDOM.render(<Modal isOpen appElement={targets} />, node);
+      targets.forEach(el => el.getAttribute("aria-hidden").should.eql("true"));
+      ReactDOM.render(<Modal isOpen={false} appElement={targets} />, node);
+
+      should(visible.getAttribute("aria-hidden")).equal(null);
+      hidden.getAttribute("aria-hidden").should.eql("true");
+      explicitFalse.getAttribute("aria-hidden").should.eql("false");
+      ReactDOM.unmountComponentAtNode(node);
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("restores overlapping app elements only after their last modal closes", () => {
+    withElementCollector(() => {
+      const first = createHTMLElement("div");
+      const shared = createHTMLElement("div");
+      const last = createHTMLElement("div");
+      const node = createHTMLElement("div");
+      shared.setAttribute("aria-hidden", "false");
+      last.setAttribute("aria-hidden", "true");
+      const render = (openFirst, openLast) => ReactDOM.render(
+        <div>
+          <Modal isOpen={openFirst} appElement={[first, shared]} />
+          <Modal isOpen={openLast} appElement={[shared, last]} />
+        </div>,
+        node
+      );
+
+      render(true, true);
+      render(false, true);
+      should(first.getAttribute("aria-hidden")).equal(null);
+      shared.getAttribute("aria-hidden").should.eql("true");
+      last.getAttribute("aria-hidden").should.eql("true");
+      render(false, false);
+      shared.getAttribute("aria-hidden").should.eql("false");
+      last.getAttribute("aria-hidden").should.eql("true");
+      ReactDOM.unmountComponentAtNode(node);
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("restores the original target when props change before unmount", () => {
+    withElementCollector(() => {
+      const first = createHTMLElement("div");
+      const second = createHTMLElement("div");
+      const node = createHTMLElement("div");
+      first.setAttribute("aria-hidden", "false");
+
+      ReactDOM.render(<Modal isOpen appElement={first} />, node);
+      ReactDOM.render(<Modal isOpen appElement={second} ariaHideApp={false} />, node);
+      ReactDOM.unmountComponentAtNode(node);
+
+      first.getAttribute("aria-hidden").should.eql("false");
+      should(second.getAttribute("aria-hidden")).equal(null);
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("keeps a shared target hidden when the last-opened modal closes first", () => {
+    withElementCollector(() => {
+      const target = createHTMLElement("div");
+      const node = createHTMLElement("div");
+      const render = (first, second) => ReactDOM.render(
+        <div>
+          <Modal isOpen={first} appElement={target} />
+          <Modal isOpen={second} appElement={target} />
+        </div>,
+        node
+      );
+
+      render(true, true);
+      render(true, false);
+      target.getAttribute("aria-hidden").should.eql("true");
+      render(false, false);
+      should(target.getAttribute("aria-hidden")).equal(null);
+      ReactDOM.unmountComponentAtNode(node);
+    });
+  });
+
   it("renders into the body, not in context", () => {
     withElementCollector(() => {
       const node = createHTMLElement("div");
diff --git a/src/components/ModalPortal.js b/src/components/ModalPortal.js
index 7f20df67..ec8ead47 100644
--- a/src/components/ModalPortal.js
+++ b/src/components/ModalPortal.js
@@ -25,8 +25,6 @@ const CLASS_NAMES = {
 const isTabKey = event => event.code === "Tab" || event.keyCode === 9;
 const isEscKey = event => event.code === "Escape" || event.keyCode === 27;
 
-let ariaHiddenInstances = 0;
-
 export default class ModalPortal extends Component {
   static defaultProps = {
     style: {
@@ -90,6 +88,7 @@ export default class ModalPortal extends Component {
 
     this.shouldClose = null;
     this.moveFromContentToOverlay = null;
+    this.ariaHiddenElements = null;
   }
 
   componentDidMount() {
@@ -171,22 +170,15 @@ export default class ModalPortal extends Component {
         htmlOpenClassName
       );
 
-    if (ariaHideApp) {
-      ariaHiddenInstances += 1;
-      ariaAppHider.hide(appElement);
+    if (ariaHideApp && !this.ariaHiddenElements) {
+      this.ariaHiddenElements = ariaAppHider.hide(appElement);
     }
 
     portalOpenInstances.register(this);
   }
 
   afterClose = () => {
-    const {
-      appElement,
-      ariaHideApp,
-      htmlOpenClassName,
-      bodyOpenClassName,
-      parentSelector
-    } = this.props;
+    const { htmlOpenClassName, bodyOpenClassName, parentSelector } = this.props;
 
     const parentDocument =
       (parentSelector && parentSelector().ownerDocument) || document;
@@ -201,13 +193,9 @@ export default class ModalPortal extends Component {
         htmlOpenClassName
       );
 
-    // Reset aria-hidden attribute if all modals have been removed
-    if (ariaHideApp && ariaHiddenInstances > 0) {
-      ariaHiddenInstances -= 1;
-
-      if (ariaHiddenInstances === 0) {
-        ariaAppHider.show(appElement);
-      }
+    if (this.ariaHiddenElements) {
+      ariaAppHider.show(this.ariaHiddenElements);
+      this.ariaHiddenElements = null;
     }
 
     if (this.props.shouldFocusAfterRender) {
diff --git a/src/helpers/ariaAppHider.js b/src/helpers/ariaAppHider.js
index 2620bcad..658bebaa 100644
--- a/src/helpers/ariaAppHider.js
+++ b/src/helpers/ariaAppHider.js
@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@ import warning from "warning";
 import { canUseDOM } from "./safeHTMLElement";
 
 let globalElement = null;
+let hiddenElements = new Map();
 
 /* eslint-disable no-console */
 /* istanbul ignore next */
 export function resetState() {
+  hiddenElements.clear();
   if (globalElement) {
     if (globalElement.removeAttribute) {
       globalElement.removeAttribute("aria-hidden");
@@ -75,14 +77,35 @@ export function validateElement(appElement) {
 }
 
 export function hide(appElement) {
-  for (let el of validateElement(appElement)) {
+  const elements = Array.prototype.slice.call(validateElement(appElement));
+  for (let el of elements) {
+    const previous = hiddenElements.get(el);
+    if (previous) {
+      previous.count += 1;
+    } else {
+      hiddenElements.set(el, {
+        count: 1,
+        value: el.getAttribute("aria-hidden")
+      });
+    }
     el.setAttribute("aria-hidden", "true");
   }
+  return elements;
 }
 
 export function show(appElement) {
   for (let el of validateElement(appElement)) {
-    el.removeAttribute("aria-hidden");
+    const previous = hiddenElements.get(el);
+    if (!previous) continue;
+    previous.count -= 1;
+    if (previous.count === 0) {
+      if (previous.value === null) {
+        el.removeAttribute("aria-hidden");
+      } else {
+        el.setAttribute("aria-hidden", previous.value);
+      }
+      hiddenElements.delete(el);
+    }
   }
 }