Accessibility Check Skill
Use this skill when auditing or improving web accessibility compliance.
When to Use
- •Building new UI components
- •Auditing existing features
- •Before major releases
- •After accessibility complaints
- •Regular a11y reviews
WCAG 2.1 Levels
| Level | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| A | Minimum accessibility | Required |
| AA | Standard compliance | Recommended |
| AAA | Enhanced accessibility | Ideal |
Quick Checks
1. Keyboard Navigation
bash
# Test without mouse: # - Tab through all interactive elements # - Shift+Tab to go backwards # - Enter/Space to activate # - Arrow keys for menus/selections # - Escape to close modals
typescript
// ✅ All interactive elements must be focusable
<button onClick={handleClick}>Click me</button>
// ❌ Bad: Div with click handler
<div onClick={handleClick}>Click me</div>
// ✅ If you must use div, add proper attributes
<div
role="button"
tabIndex={0}
onClick={handleClick}
onKeyDown={(e) => e.key === 'Enter' && handleClick()}
>
Click me
</div>
2. Screen Reader Testing
bash
# macOS: VoiceOver # Cmd + F5 to toggle # Ctrl + Option + arrows to navigate # Windows: NVDA (free) # Download from nvaccess.org # Chrome: ChromeVox extension
3. Color Contrast
css
/* Minimum contrast ratios */
/* Normal text (< 18px): 4.5:1 */
/* Large text (≥ 18px or 14px bold): 3:1 */
/* ❌ Bad: Low contrast */
.text {
color: #999;
background: #fff; /* 2.8:1 ratio */
}
/* ✅ Good: Sufficient contrast */
.text {
color: #595959;
background: #fff; /* 7:1 ratio */
}
Common Issues & Fixes
Images
tsx
// ❌ Bad: No alt text
<img src="product.jpg" />
// ✅ Good: Descriptive alt
<img src="product.jpg" alt="Red wireless headphones" />
// ✅ Good: Decorative image
<img src="divider.svg" alt="" role="presentation" />
// ✅ Good: Complex image
<figure>
<img src="chart.png" alt="Q4 sales chart" aria-describedby="chart-desc" />
<figcaption id="chart-desc">
Sales increased 45% from October to December,
with November showing the highest growth.
</figcaption>
</figure>
Forms
tsx
// ❌ Bad: No label <input type="email" placeholder="Email" /> // ✅ Good: Visible label <label htmlFor="email">Email address</label> <input type="email" id="email" /> // ✅ Good: With error <label htmlFor="email">Email address</label> <input type="email" id="email" aria-invalid="true" aria-describedby="email-error" /> <span id="email-error" role="alert"> Please enter a valid email address </span> // ✅ Good: Required field <label htmlFor="name"> Name <span aria-hidden="true">*</span> </label> <input type="text" id="name" required aria-required="true" />
Buttons & Links
tsx
// ❌ Bad: Icon-only button <button><Icon name="close" /></button> // ✅ Good: With accessible name <button aria-label="Close dialog"> <Icon name="close" aria-hidden="true" /> </button> // ❌ Bad: Vague link <a href="/docs">Click here</a> // ✅ Good: Descriptive link <a href="/docs">Read the documentation</a> // ✅ Good: Link that opens new tab <a href="/external" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> External site <span className="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span> </a>
Headings
tsx
// ❌ Bad: Skipped levels
<h1>Page Title</h1>
<h3>Section</h3> {/* Skipped h2! */}
// ✅ Good: Sequential levels
<h1>Page Title</h1>
<h2>Section</h2>
<h3>Subsection</h3>
Focus Management
tsx
// ✅ Visible focus styles
button:focus-visible {
outline: 2px solid #005fcc;
outline-offset: 2px;
}
// ✅ Focus trap in modal
import { FocusTrap } from '@headlessui/react';
function Modal({ children }) {
return (
<FocusTrap>
<div role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-labelledby="modal-title">
<h2 id="modal-title">Modal Title</h2>
{children}
</div>
</FocusTrap>
);
}
// ✅ Return focus after close
const triggerRef = useRef();
function openModal() {
triggerRef.current = document.activeElement;
setIsOpen(true);
}
function closeModal() {
setIsOpen(false);
triggerRef.current?.focus();
}
Skip Links
tsx
// Add at top of page
<a href="#main-content" className="skip-link">
Skip to main content
</a>
<nav aria-label="Main navigation">...</nav>
<main id="main-content" tabIndex={-1}>
...
</main>
// CSS
.skip-link {
position: absolute;
left: -9999px;
z-index: 999;
}
.skip-link:focus {
left: 50%;
transform: translateX(-50%);
top: 10px;
padding: 8px 16px;
background: #000;
color: #fff;
}
Live Regions
tsx
// Announce dynamic updates
<div aria-live="polite" aria-atomic="true">
{statusMessage}
</div>
// Urgent announcements
<div role="alert">
Error: Your session has expired.
</div>
// Loading states
function SearchResults({ isLoading, results }) {
return (
<>
<div aria-live="polite" className="sr-only">
{isLoading ? 'Loading results...' : `Found ${results.length} results`}
</div>
{/* Visual content */}
</>
);
}
Testing Tools
bash
# Automated testing
npm install @axe-core/react jest-axe
# In development (console warnings)
import React from 'react';
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import axe from '@axe-core/react';
if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
axe(React, ReactDOM, 1000);
}
# In tests
import { axe, toHaveNoViolations } from 'jest-axe';
expect.extend(toHaveNoViolations);
test('should have no a11y violations', async () => {
const { container } = render(<MyComponent />);
expect(await axe(container)).toHaveNoViolations();
});
Browser Extensions
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| axe DevTools | Comprehensive testing |
| WAVE | Visual evaluation |
| HeadingsMap | Heading structure |
| Landmarks | ARIA landmarks |
Screen Reader Only CSS
css
.sr-only {
position: absolute;
width: 1px;
height: 1px;
padding: 0;
margin: -1px;
overflow: hidden;
clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);
white-space: nowrap;
border: 0;
}
Audit Checklist
Perceivable
- • Images have alt text
- • Videos have captions
- • Color is not the only indicator
- • Text has sufficient contrast
Operable
- • All functions work with keyboard
- • No keyboard traps
- • Skip links provided
- • Focus indicator visible
- • No time limits (or adjustable)
Understandable
- • Language is declared
- • Navigation is consistent
- • Error messages are clear
- • Labels are descriptive
Robust
- • Valid HTML
- • ARIA used correctly
- • Works with assistive tech
- • Name, role, value exposed
Report Template
markdown
## Accessibility Audit ### Summary - Issues found: 12 - Critical: 3 - Serious: 5 - Moderate: 4 ### Critical Issues #### Missing form labels **Location**: Login form **WCAG**: 1.3.1, 4.1.2 **Impact**: Screen reader users cannot identify fields **Fix**: ```html <label for="email">Email</label> <input id="email" type="email">
Recommendations
- •Add eslint-plugin-jsx-a11y
- •Include a11y in PR checklist
- •Test with screen reader monthly
code