accessibility

Skill: WCAG 2.1 AA Accessibility — Vue 3 + Reka UI

Reka UI implements WAI-ARIA by default. The audit focuses on: correct usage of primitives, project-specific extensions, and Vue-specific patterns.

What Reka UI manages automatically

✅ Do not audit — already implemented by primitives:

• Correct role on all components (button, dialog, menu, listbox, etc.)
• Keyboard navigation (Tab, Arrows, Enter, Space, Escape)
• aria-expanded, aria-selected, aria-checked on interactive components
• Focus trap in Dialog, AlertDialog, Sheet
• aria-haspopup on Popover, DropdownMenu triggers
• aria-modal on overlays

⚠️ Audit — project extensions and usages:

---

Checklist by category

1. Buttons and interactive elements

<!-- ✅ Icon button — aria-label required -->
<Button size="icon" aria-label="Close dialog">
  <X class="h-4 w-4" aria-hidden="true" />
</Button>

<!-- ✅ Alternative with sr-only -->
<Button>
  <Trash2 class="h-4 w-4 mr-2" aria-hidden="true" />
  <span>Delete</span>
  <span class="sr-only">item John Smith</span>
</Button>

<!-- ❌ Icon without description -->
<Button>
  <Settings class="h-4 w-4" />
</Button>

2. Forms with vee-validate

<!-- ✅ FormField applies aria-describedby automatically -->
<FormField v-slot="{ componentField }" name="email">
  <FormItem>
    <FormLabel>Email</FormLabel>  <!-- Associated to input via automatic for/id -->
    <FormControl>
      <Input v-bind="componentField" />  <!-- id injected automatically -->
    </FormControl>
    <FormMessage />  <!-- automatic aria-live when there is an error -->
  </FormItem>
</FormField>

<!-- ❌ Input without label (even with placeholder) -->
<Input placeholder="Email" v-model="email" />

<!-- ✅ When not using FormField: explicit label -->
<label for="email-standalone">Email</label>
<Input id="email-standalone" v-model="email" />

3. Images and icons

<!-- ✅ Informative image with descriptive alt -->
<img :src="user.avatar" :alt="`Profile photo of ${user.name}`" />

<!-- ✅ Decorative image: empty alt -->
<img src="/hero-bg.png" alt="" aria-hidden="true" />

<!-- ✅ Next.js-style with Nuxt Image -->
<NuxtImg :src="photo" :alt="description" />

<!-- ✅ Standalone icon (lucide-vue-next) -->
<CheckCircle class="text-green-500" aria-label="Completed" />
<!-- or: aria-hidden + adjacent sr-only text -->
<CheckCircle aria-hidden="true" />
<span class="sr-only">Status: Completed</span>

4. Dynamic states

<!-- ✅ Loading state with aria-live -->
<div aria-live="polite" :aria-busy="isLoading">
  <template v-if="isLoading">
    <Skeleton v-for="i in 3" :key="i" class="h-8 w-full mb-2" />
  </template>
  <ul v-else>
    <li v-for="item in items" :key="item.id">{{ item.name }}</li>
  </ul>
</div>

<!-- ✅ Operation error — assertive to interrupt -->
<div v-if="error" role="alert" aria-live="assertive">
  <Alert variant="destructive">
    <AlertDescription>{{ error }}</AlertDescription>
  </Alert>
</div>

<!-- ✅ Success confirmation — polite, does not interrupt -->
<div role="status" aria-live="polite">
  <span v-if="saved" class="text-green-600">Saved successfully.</span>
</div>

5. Navigation and links

<!-- ✅ RouterLink with descriptive text -->
<RouterLink to="/product/123">View details of Product X</RouterLink>

<!-- ❌ Generic link without context -->
<RouterLink to="/product/123">Click here</RouterLink>

<!-- ✅ External link with indication -->
<a href="https://example.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
  External documentation
  <span class="sr-only">(opens in new tab)</span>
  <ExternalLink class="h-3 w-3 ml-1 inline" aria-hidden="true" />
</a>

6. Dialog and modals

<!-- ✅ shadcn-vue Dialog already implements correctly -->
<Dialog v-model:open="open">
  <DialogContent>
    <!-- REQUIRED: DialogTitle always present (can be sr-only) -->
    <DialogTitle>Confirm deletion</DialogTitle>
    <!-- RECOMMENDED: DialogDescription -->
    <DialogDescription>
      This action cannot be undone.
    </DialogDescription>
    <!-- Content -->
  </DialogContent>
</Dialog>

<!-- ❌ Dialog without title — screen reader does not announce context -->
<DialogContent>
  <p>Content without accessible title</p>
</DialogContent>

7. Color contrast

Type	Minimum AA	Safe Tailwind classes
Normal text (< 18px regular)	4.5:1	text-gray-700+ on white
Large text (≥ 18px or 14px bold)	3:1	text-gray-600+ on white
UI elements (borders, icons)	3:1	border-gray-400+, text-gray-500+

Verify: dark mode must also pass the same criteria.

8. Animations and motion

<!-- ✅ Respect prefers-reduced-motion -->
<Transition
  enter-active-class="motion-safe:transition-all motion-safe:duration-200"
  leave-active-class="motion-safe:transition-all motion-safe:duration-200"
>
  <div v-if="show">Animated content</div>
</Transition>

In Tailwind:

<!-- motion-reduce: overrides animations -->
<div class="animate-spin motion-reduce:animate-none" />
<div class="transition-all motion-reduce:transition-none" />

9. Focus

<!-- ✅ Visible focus — shadcn-vue already configures focus-visible:ring -->
<!-- Verify: not removed with outline-none without a substitute -->

<!-- ❌ Removes focus without substitute -->
<Input class="focus:outline-none" />

<!-- ✅ Custom focus ring -->
<Input class="focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-blue-500 focus-visible:outline-none" />

<!-- ✅ Skip to content link (for long pages) -->
<a
  href="#main-content"
  class="sr-only focus:not-sr-only focus:absolute focus:top-4 focus:left-4"
>
  Skip to main content
</a>

---

Finding severity

Level	Criterion	Action
Critical	Blocks usage by a person with a disability	Block PHASE 4 gate
High	Significant impact — immediate fix needed	Log and recommend
Medium	Important improvement, non-blocking	Priority backlog
Low	Experience refinement	Future backlog

---

Testing tools

# axe-core via CLI
npx @axe-core/cli http://localhost:3000

# Playwright with axe
npm install --save-dev @axe-core/playwright

# Manual checklist
# 1. Tab through entire page — is focus always visible?
# 2. Screen reader (VoiceOver/NVDA) — is content announced correctly?
# 3. 200% zoom — does the layout hold?
# 4. High contrast (Windows) — is the interface usable?
# 5. Disable CSS — does the semantic structure make sense?