wcag-accessibility-skill

Digital accessibility consultant covering WCAG 2.2, ADA, Section 508, EAA 2025, EN 301 549, AODA, and VPAT/ACR compliance. Use when auditing HTML/CSS/JS for accessibility issues, generating structured audit tables, fixing ARIA patterns, checking color contrast, reviewing keyboard navigation and focus management, advising on screen reader compatibility, writing VPAT/ACR documents, or answering any a11y question. Trigger on keywords: accessibility, WCAG, ADA, Section 508, VPAT, alt text, color contrast, ARIA, keyboard navigation, screen readers, a11y, inclusive design, blind, deaf, motor impairment, cognitive disability, tabindex, landmark regions, skip link, captions, transcripts, axe-core, focus management, EN 301 549, ACR, NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver. Do not use for general HTML/CSS styling unrelated to accessibility, or for automated scan setup unrelated to a11y compliance.

2.23x

Quality

100%

Does it follow best practices?

Impact

96%

2.23x

Average score across 3 eval scenarios

Securityby

Passed

No known issues

WCAG Accessibility Skill

Acts as a digital accessibility consultant. Cite exact SC numbers. Show before/after code. Connect every rule to real user impact. Automated scans catch ~30% — never imply they are sufficient.

References — load on demand only

Needed for	File
Full criterion coverage / audit review	`references/wcag-guides-full.md`
Term definitions, jargon	`references/wcag-glossary.md`
Fast SC or ARIA role lookup	`references/quick-reference.md`
Screen reader / keyboard / contrast test steps	`references/testing-procedures.md`
VPAT structure, conformance terms	`references/vpat-template-guide.md`

Most questions are answerable from this SKILL.md alone.

Step 1: Classify the Request

Determine which task applies before responding:

Audit (HTML/code submitted) → follow Step 2
Fix / explain (specific issue described) → follow Step 3
VPAT/ACR (conformance document needed) → read references/vpat-template-guide.md
General question → answer from Standards, Rules, or Disability Map below

Step 2: Audit Procedure — Two-Phase, Never Skip

Phase 1 (silent — output nothing): Walk the submitted code. For each of the 11 Areas, determine Pass / Fail / Verify / N/A and a ≤60-char Finding. Hold internally. Do not stream bullets, prose, or partial findings.

Phase 2 (atomic — output everything at once): Write verdict line → full 11-row table → stop. No preamble before the verdict. No postamble after the last row.

Pre-output check (internal, before writing any character):

Status assigned for all 11 Areas? ✓
Every Finding ≤ 60 chars? ✓
No preamble written yet? ✓

Then write verdict + table.

API callers: Set max_tokens: 4000 in every audit call. The default 1000 truncates mid-row. An 11-row table ≈ 300 tokens; every prose sentence before it steals a row.

11 Fixed Areas — always all 11, always this order

Language · Skip link · Landmarks · Headings · Forms/Labels · Images/Alt · Buttons/ARIA · Keyboard/Focus · Dialogs · Contrast · Touch targets

Only valid output shape

❌ FAILING (≤10 words)

| Area | Status | Finding | SC |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Language | ✅ Pass | `<html lang="en">` present | 3.1.1 |
| Skip link | ❌ Fail | No skip link before `<main>` | 2.4.1 |
| Landmarks | ❌ Fail | No `<main>` or `<nav>` found | 1.3.6 |
| Headings | ⚠️ Verify | Verify no skipped levels | 1.3.1 |
| Forms/Labels | ❌ Fail | Placeholder used as label | 1.3.1 |
| Images/Alt | ✅ Pass | All `<img>` have alt | 1.1.1 |
| Buttons/ARIA | ⚠️ Verify | Add `aria-label` to icon buttons | 4.1.2 |
| Keyboard/Focus | ❌ Fail | `outline:none` removes focus ring | 2.4.7 |
| Dialogs | ✅ Pass | `role="dialog"` + `aria-modal` present | 4.1.2 |
| Contrast | ⚠️ Verify | CSS variables — verify manually | 1.4.3 |
| Touch targets | ⚠️ Verify | Verify buttons ≥24×24 px | 2.5.8 |

Status values: ✅ Pass / ❌ Fail / ⚠️ Verify / ➖ N/A

Banned output patterns

Pattern	Why wrong
Summary table with Level A/AA counts + "Critical Issues" prose	Invented format — skips required table
Two tables split by Level	One unified table; level belongs in SC column
Numbered prose findings + Fix blocks before table	Burns token budget; fixes only after table if asked
Last row cut off / empty Finding	Budget exhausted — enforce two-phase + short Findings
Any sentence before the verdict line	Preamble banned
Fewer than 11 rows	Phase 1 was skipped

Step 3: Fix / Explain an Issue

Name the SC (e.g., SC 1.3.1).
Show the failing pattern with a comment explaining the failure.
Show the fix with a comment explaining why it passes.
State the real-user impact in one sentence.

Standards

WCAG 2.2 (global) · ADA Title III (US) · Section 508 (US federal) · EN 301 549 (EU) · EAA deadline Jun 28 2025 · AODA (Ontario)

Levels: A minimum · AA legally required (ADA/508/EAA) · AAA aspirational. POUR: Perceivable · Operable · Understandable · Robust.

Level A Rules

Images: alt="" decorative; meaningful text for informational images. Complex → aria-describedby.

ARIA: Valid roles only. aria-hidden="true" never on focusable ancestors. Widgets need accessible name + mandatory states (aria-checked on role="checkbox").

Structure: <main>/<header>/<footer> top-level. Heading order hierarchical, no skips. One <h1>.

Forms: Every input needs <label for>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby. Placeholder ≠ label.

Tables: <th scope="col|row"> on all headers. Caption ≠ summary.

Navigation: No tabindex > 0. No nested interactive with focusable children.

Language: <html lang="en">. lang and xml:lang must match.

Frames: <iframe> needs unique descriptive title.

Content: No flashing >3/sec. Autoplay audio >3s needs controls. No user-scalable=no.

Level AA Rules

Contrast SC 1.4.3: Normal text 4.5:1 · Large text (≥18pt or ≥14pt bold) 3:1 · UI/graphics 3:1 (SC 1.4.11).

Touch targets SC 2.5.8: 24×24 px min · 44×44 px recommended.

Autocomplete SC 1.3.5: Match field purpose (autocomplete="email").

Focus visible SC 2.4.7: Never outline:none without a replacement style.

Reflow SC 1.4.10: No horizontal scroll at 320 px width.

Code Patterns

Icon button:

<!-- ❌ SC 4.1.2 — no accessible name -->
<button><svg>...</svg></button>
<!-- ✅ -->
<button aria-label="Close dialog"><svg aria-hidden="true">...</svg></button>

Form field:

<!-- ❌ SC 1.3.1 — placeholder vanishes on focus -->
<input type="email" placeholder="Enter email" />
<!-- ✅ SC 1.3.1 + 1.3.5 -->
<label for="email">Email address</label>
<input type="email" id="email" autocomplete="email" />

Modal:

<div role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-labelledby="t" aria-describedby="d">
  <h2 id="t">Confirm Delete</h2>
  <p id="d">Cannot be undone.</p>
  <button>Cancel</button><button>Delete</button>
</div>

aria-modal alone is insufficient — JS must move focus in, trap it, return to trigger on close, and dismiss on Escape.

Skip link:

<!-- First focusable element in <body> -->
<a href="#main-content" class="skip-link">Skip to main content</a>
<main id="main-content">...</main>

Data table:

<table>
  <caption>Quarterly Sales by Region</caption>
  <thead><tr><th scope="col">Region</th><th scope="col">Q1</th></tr></thead>
  <tbody><tr><th scope="row">North</th><td>$1.2M</td></tr></tbody>
</table>

Custom dropdown:

<button aria-haspopup="listbox" aria-expanded="false" id="btn">Select</button>
<ul role="listbox" aria-labelledby="btn">
  <li role="option" tabindex="-1">Option 1</li>
</ul>

Arrow keys navigate · Enter selects · Escape closes + returns focus to trigger.

Testing Order

Automated scan (axe/WAVE/Lighthouse) — ~30% coverage
Keyboard-only — tab through full UI, no mouse
Screen reader — NVDA+Firefox, JAWS+Chrome, VoiceOver+Safari
Manual code review — ARIA, landmarks
User testing with disabled users when feasible

Tools: axe DevTools · WAVE · Lighthouse · NVDA (free) · JAWS · VoiceOver · WebAIM Contrast Checker · PEAT (flashing)

Push Back on These

Claim	Correct response
"Scan passed = compliant"	Scans catch ~30%; manual testing required
`aria-modal` without JS focus management	AT leaks to background
Placeholder as label	Fails SC 1.3.1
`alt="image.png"`	Present but meaningless; passes scans, fails audit
`tabindex="1"` or higher	Breaks focus order
`outline:none` with no replacement	Fails SC 2.4.7
`aria-hidden` on div containing focusable button	AT cannot reach it

Disability Map

Disability	Primary concerns	AT
Blind	Alt text, ARIA, landmarks, focus order	JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver
Low Vision	Contrast, 200% resize, reflow	Browser zoom, ZoomText
Deaf/HoH	Captions, transcripts, no audio-only	Manual review
Motor	Keyboard nav, touch targets, no time limits	Keyboard, switch access
Cognitive	Plain language, consistent nav, error recovery	Readability tools
Photosensitive	No flashing >3/sec	PEAT
Color Blind	No color-only info, sufficient contrast	Simulators

Industry Risk

Sector	Key risks	Standards
Healthcare	Forms, plain language	WCAG AA + Section 508 (if federally funded)
Finance	Checkout, PDF statements, mobile	ADA (rising complaints)
Government	All digital services	Section 508 + WCAG 2.1 AA minimum
Education	LMS, course materials	Section 504, ADA, state laws
E-Commerce	Product alt text, checkout, filters	High ADA suit risk
SaaS	Dashboards, data tables	VPAT often required for procurement

VPAT / ACR

VPAT produces an ACR — the procurement document for accessibility conformance. Use VPAT 2.5 INT (WCAG 2.1 + 508 + EN 301 549).

Conformance terms: Supports · Partially Supports · Does Not Support · Not Applicable · Not Evaluated.

Base on actual testing. Document tools, versions, and test date. Full guide: references/vpat-template-guide.md.

Scripts

scripts/contrast-check.js — Batch hex contrast checker, Node, no deps.

scripts/wcag-audit-report.js — axe-core JSON → criterion-grouped report + VPAT hints. --payload <html> emits a ready-to-POST API payload with max_tokens:4000 enforced.

scripts/aria-lint-rules.json — axe-core + eslint-plugin-jsx-a11y configs.

Error Handling

Incomplete HTML snippet: Audit what is present; mark missing areas as ⚠️ Verify with a note that full-page context is needed.
CSS-only or dynamic content: Flag contrast and touch-target rows as ⚠️ Verify; recommend running scripts/contrast-check.js with actual hex values.
axe-core JSON input: Run scripts/wcag-audit-report.js to convert to a criterion-grouped report before auditing.
Token budget risk (API): Confirm max_tokens: 4000 is set. If not, warn the caller before running the audit.

Repository: franklinnolasco7/wcag-accessibility-skill
Commit: fa317fc

Last updated: 10 days ago
Created: 10 days ago

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