a11y-check

Accessibility Audit

Evaluate user-facing work against WCAG 2.1 AA. Accessibility is a design constraint, not a polish step (Downe Principle 11).

WCAG 2.1 AA Checklist by Principle

1. Perceivable

• All images have meaningful alt text (or alt="" for decorative)
• Video has captions; audio has transcripts
• Color is never the sole indicator of meaning
• Color contrast: 4.5:1 normal text, 3:1 large text
• Content is readable at 200% zoom without horizontal scroll
• Text spacing can be adjusted without loss of content

2. Operable

• All interactive elements reachable via keyboard (Tab/Shift+Tab)
• Visible focus indicators on all focusable elements
• No keyboard traps (can always Tab away)
• Skip navigation link for repetitive content
• Page titles are descriptive and unique
• Focus order matches visual order
• Touch targets are at least 44x44 CSS pixels

3. Understandable

• Language of page is declared (lang attribute)
• Form inputs have associated labels
• Error messages identify the field and describe the fix
• Instructions don't rely solely on sensory characteristics
• Navigation is consistent across pages

4. Robust

• Valid HTML (no duplicate IDs, proper nesting)
• ARIA used correctly (roles, states, properties)
• Custom components expose name, role, value to assistive tech
• Status messages use aria-live regions

Automated Testing Tools (by stack)

Stack	Tool	Command
React/Web	axe-core	npx axe <url> or axe-core in tests
Any web	Lighthouse	npx lighthouse <url> --only-categories=accessibility
Any web	pa11y	npx pa11y <url>
CI/CD	axe-linter	Add to CI pipeline

Common Violations and Fixes

Violation	Fix
Missing alt text	Add descriptive alt or alt="" for decorative
Low color contrast	Increase contrast ratio to 4.5:1 minimum
Missing form labels	Add <label for="id"> or aria-label
No focus indicator	Add :focus-visible styles, never outline: none
Non-semantic buttons	Use <button> not <div onclick>
Missing heading hierarchy	Use h1-h6 in order, don't skip levels
Auto-playing media	Add pause/stop controls, respect prefers-reduced-motion

When to Run

• During development: after every UI component
• Before PR: full automated scan
• Before release: manual screen reader test of critical journeys
• After design changes: re-audit affected components

Sensitive Context Note

For products handling sensitive user contexts (health, finance, domestic violence, government services), also review trauma-informed design principles in ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/domains/quality/CLAUDE.md. Source: Hussain (Chayn), built on SAMHSA's 6 Principles (2014).

Neurodiversity Considerations

For information-dense or learning-oriented products, supplement WCAG with the Neurodiversity Design System (neurodiversity.design, Soward). Its 8 principle categories with neurotype-to-UI-element matrix address cognitive accessibility needs that WCAG does not fully cover (e.g., font shapes for dyslexia, number formatting for dyscalculia, animation controls for ADHD).