Accessibility Auditor

Audit web applications for WCAG 2.0/2.1/2.2 compliance by identifying common violations and providing actionable remediation steps.

When to Use

User requests accessibility audit, a11y check, or WCAG compliance review
User mentions accessibility issues, screen readers, or keyboard navigation problems
User asks to check or improve accessibility for people with disabilities

WCAG Principles: POUR

Principle	Description
Perceivable	Content can be perceived through different senses
Operable	Interface can be operated by all users
Understandable	Content and interface are understandable
Robust	Content works with assistive technologies

Conformance Levels

Level	Requirement	Target
A	Minimum accessibility	Must pass
AA	Standard compliance	Should pass (legal requirement in many jurisdictions)
AAA	Enhanced accessibility	Nice to have

12 Most Common WCAG Violations

Based on WebAIM Million (2021) research analyzing top 1M websites:

Low Color Contrast (WCAG 1.4.3) - 86.4% of sites
- Text < 4.5:1 contrast ratio
- Large text < 3:1 contrast ratio
- UI components < 3:1
Missing/Inadequate Alt Text (WCAG 1.1.1) - 60.6% of sites
- Images without alt attribute
- Alt text with "image", "picture", "photo"
- Empty alt on meaningful images
Missing Name, Role, or Value (WCAG 4.1.2)
- Interactive elements without accessible names
- Custom components without proper ARIA
- Buttons, form fields, custom widgets
Keyboard Navigation Failures (WCAG 2.1.1)
- Elements with onClick but not keyboard accessible
- Missing focus indicators
- Trapped keyboard focus
Unlabeled Form Controls (WCAG 1.3.1, 3.3.2) - 39.6% of sites
- Inputs without
```
<label>
```
  or aria-label
- Labels not programmatically associated
Missing Language Attributes (WCAG 3.1.1) - 28.9% of sites
- No lang attribute on
```
<html>
```
- Missing lang for foreign language passages
Improper Heading Structure (WCAG 1.3.1, 2.4.6)
- Skipped heading levels (h1 → h3)
- Multiple h1s or no h1
- Empty headings
Empty Links or Poor Link Text (WCAG 2.4.4)
- Links with "click here", "here", "read more"
- Empty links or links with only icons
Missing/Improper Focus Indicators (WCAG 2.4.7)
- CSS removing outline without replacement
- Insufficient focus indicator contrast
Overuse/Misuse of ARIA (WCAG 4.1.2)
- Unnecessary ARIA when native HTML works
- Invalid ARIA attributes for roles
- Required ARIA attributes missing
Inadequate Data Table Markup (WCAG 1.3.1)
- Tables without
```
<th>
```
  elements
- Missing scope or headers attributes
Missing Media Captions (WCAG 1.2.1, 1.2.2)
- Videos without captions/subtitles
- Audio without transcripts

Audit Process

Phase 1: Automated Testing

Run ESLint (React/JSX projects):

bash

npx eslint --ext .jsx,.tsx --no-ignore --format json . > .claude/skills/a11y-auditor/eslint-results.json 2>&1 || true

Or use helper script:

.claude/skills/a11y-auditor/scripts/run-eslint.sh

Run Lighthouse (production/staging):

bash

npx lighthouse https://example.com --only-categories=accessibility --output=json --output-path=./lighthouse-results.json

Check for axe-core integration:

bash

grep -r "@axe-core\|axe-core" package.json

Phase 2: Manual Code Inspection

Use grep patterns from

references/grep-patterns.md

to search for:

Missing alt text
Keyboard navigation issues
Color values for contrast checking
ARIA issues
Form labels
Heading structure
Language attributes
Poor link text
Media elements

See

references/grep-patterns.md

for complete pattern list.

Phase 3: Analyze & Prioritize

Group findings by severity using WCAG impact levels:

Critical (fix immediately):

Keyboard traps
No focus indicators
Missing form labels
Missing alt text on functional images
Insufficient color contrast on interactive elements

Serious (fix before launch):

Missing page language
Improper heading structure
Non-descriptive link text
Missing skip links
Auto-playing media

Moderate (fix soon):

Missing ARIA labels on icons
Inconsistent navigation
Missing error identification
Missing landmark regions

Phase 4: Manual Testing

references/screen-reader-guide.md

for:

Keyboard navigation testing
Screen reader testing (VoiceOver, NVDA, JAWS)
Zoom and reflow testing
High contrast mode testing
Reduced motion testing

WCAG Pattern Examples

Perceivable

Alt Text (1.1.1)

html

<!-- ❌ Missing alt -->
<img src="chart.png">

<!-- ✅ Descriptive alt -->
<img src="chart.png" alt="Bar chart showing 40% increase in Q3 sales">

<!-- ✅ Decorative (empty alt) -->
<img src="decorative-border.png" alt="" role="presentation">

Color Contrast (1.4.3)

css

/* ❌ Low contrast (2.5:1) */
.low-contrast {
  color: #999;
  background: #fff;
}

/* ✅ Sufficient contrast (7:1) */
.high-contrast {
  color: #333;
  background: #fff;
}

Contrast requirements:

Normal text: 4.5:1 (AA), 7:1 (AAA)
Large text (18px+ or 14px+ bold): 3:1 (AA), 4.5:1 (AAA)
UI components: 3:1

Media Alternatives (1.2)

html

<video controls>
  <source src="video.mp4" type="video/mp4">
  <track kind="captions" src="captions.vtt" srclang="en" label="English" default>
</video>

Operable

Keyboard Navigation (2.1.1)

javascript

// ❌ Only click
element.addEventListener('click', handleAction);

// ✅ Click + keyboard
element.addEventListener('click', handleAction);
element.addEventListener('keydown', (e) => {
  if (e.key === 'Enter' || e.key === ' ') {
    e.preventDefault();
    handleAction();
  }
});

Focus Visible (2.4.7)

css

/* ❌ Never remove focus */
*:focus { outline: none; }

/* ✅ Keyboard-only focus */
:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid #005fcc;
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

Skip Links (2.4.1)

html

<body>
  <a href="#main-content" class="skip-link">Skip to main content</a>
  <header><!-- navigation --></header>
  <main id="main-content" tabindex="-1">
    <!-- content -->
  </main>
</body>

css

.skip-link {
  position: absolute;
  top: -40px;
  left: 0;
  background: #000;
  color: #fff;
  padding: 8px 16px;
  z-index: 100;
}

.skip-link:focus {
  top: 0;
}

Reduced Motion (2.3.3)

css

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  *,
  *::before,
  *::after {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    scroll-behavior: auto !important;
  }
}

Understandable

Page Language (3.1.1)

html

<!-- ❌ No language -->
<html>

<!-- ✅ Language specified -->
<html lang="en">

<!-- ✅ Language changes -->
<p>The French word for hello is <span lang="fr">bonjour</span>.</p>

Form Labels (3.3.2)

html

<!-- ❌ No label -->
<input type="email" placeholder="Email">

<!-- ✅ Explicit label -->
<label for="email">Email address</label>
<input type="email" id="email" autocomplete="email">

<!-- ✅ With hint -->
<label for="password">Password</label>
<input type="password" id="password" aria-describedby="password-requirements">
<p id="password-requirements">
  Must be at least 8 characters with one number.
</p>

Error Handling (3.3.1)

html

<label for="email">Email</label>
<input type="email" id="email" 
       aria-invalid="true" 
       aria-describedby="email-error">
<p id="email-error" role="alert">
  Please enter a valid email address.
</p>

Robust

ARIA Usage (4.1.2)

html

<!-- ❌ Unnecessary ARIA -->
<button role="button">Submit</button>

<!-- ✅ Native HTML -->
<button>Submit</button>

<!-- ✅ ARIA when needed (custom tabs) -->
<div role="tablist" aria-label="Product information">
  <button role="tab" aria-selected="true" aria-controls="panel-1">
    Description
  </button>
  <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="panel-2" tabindex="-1">
    Reviews
  </button>
</div>
<div role="tabpanel" id="panel-1" aria-labelledby="tab-1">
  <!-- content -->
</div>

Live Regions (4.1.3)

html

<!-- Polite (waits for pause) -->
<div aria-live="polite" aria-atomic="true">
  Status update
</div>

<!-- Assertive (interrupts) -->
<div role="alert" aria-live="assertive">
  Error: Form submission failed
</div>

Visually Hidden Text

css

.visually-hidden {
  position: absolute;
  width: 1px;
  height: 1px;
  padding: 0;
  margin: -1px;
  overflow: hidden;
  clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);
  white-space: nowrap;
  border: 0;
}

html

<button>
  <svg aria-hidden="true"><!-- icon --></svg>
  <span class="visually-hidden">Delete item</span>
</button>

Output Format

Generate reports structured as:

markdown

# Accessibility Audit Report

## Summary
- Total Issues: X
- Critical: X | Serious: X | Moderate: X | Minor: X
- WCAG Level: A, AA, or AAA
- Automated Coverage: ~57% (manual testing required)

## Critical Issues (Fix Immediately)

### 1. [Issue Name] - WCAG X.X.X
**Severity:** Critical  
**Impact:** [Who is affected and how]  
**Affected:** X elements

**Locations:**
- `path/to/file.tsx:123`
- `path/to/file.tsx:456`

**Problem:**
[Brief description]

**Fix:**
```tsx
// Before
<div onClick={handleClick}>Click me</div>

// After
<button onClick={handleClick}>Click me</button>

Why: [Accessibility principle]

Serious Issues

[Same format]

Moderate Issues

[Same format]

Testing Recommendations

Manual keyboard testing (Tab, Enter, Escape)
Screen reader testing (see references/screen-reader-guide.md)
Automated testing setup (@axe-core/react or Lighthouse CI)
Color contrast validation (WebAIM Contrast Checker)

Next Steps

[Prioritized action items]


---

## Tools & Resources

### Development Tools
- **eslint-plugin-jsx-a11y** - React/JSX static analysis (~37 rules)
- **axe-core DevTools** - Browser extension for runtime testing
- **Lighthouse** - Built into Chrome DevTools

### Testing Tools  
- **@axe-core/react** - Runtime accessibility testing
- **@axe-core/playwright** - E2E test integration
- **pa11y** - Automated command-line testing

### Manual Testing
- **WebAIM Contrast Checker** - https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
- **WAVE** - Browser extension for visual feedback
- **Screen readers** - NVDA (Windows), VoiceOver (macOS), JAWS

### Reference Docs
- `references/WCAG-criteria.md` - All WCAG 2.1 success criteria
- `references/ARIA-patterns.md` - Common ARIA patterns and examples
- `references/screen-reader-guide.md` - Testing commands and scenarios
- `references/grep-patterns.md` - Search patterns for code audits

### References
- [WebAIM Million](https://webaim.org/projects/million/) - Annual analysis of top 1M websites (violation statistics)
- [WCAG 2.1 Quick Reference](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/) - Interactive WCAG guide
- [WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices](https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/) - Official ARIA patterns
- [Deque axe Rules](https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/) - All axe-core rules explained
- [jsx-a11y Rules](https://github.com/jsx-eslint/eslint-plugin-jsx-a11y#supported-rules) - ESLint accessibility rules

---

## Important Notes

- Automated tools catch 30-57% of issues; manual testing required
- Pages with ARIA average 41% more errors than without
- Always test with actual assistive technology when possible
- Focus on critical issues first (keyboard, screen readers, contrast)
- Document deliberate accessibility decisions
- Test on multiple browsers and devices
- Include users with disabilities in testing when possible

## Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Relying solely on automated testing
2. Using ARIA when native HTML suffices
3. Removing focus indicators
4. Using positive tabindex values
5. Color as only means of conveying information
6. Keyboard traps in modals/dialogs
7. Non-descriptive link text
8. Missing or incorrect heading hierarchy
9. Unlabeled form controls
10. Missing language attributes

web-accessibility-audit

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Accessibility Auditor

When to Use

WCAG Principles: POUR

Conformance Levels

12 Most Common WCAG Violations

Audit Process

Phase 1: Automated Testing

Phase 2: Manual Code Inspection

Phase 3: Analyze & Prioritize

Phase 4: Manual Testing

WCAG Pattern Examples

Perceivable

Alt Text (1.1.1)

Color Contrast (1.4.3)

Media Alternatives (1.2)

Operable

Keyboard Navigation (2.1.1)

Focus Visible (2.4.7)

Skip Links (2.4.1)

Reduced Motion (2.3.3)

Understandable

Page Language (3.1.1)

Form Labels (3.3.2)

Error Handling (3.3.1)

Robust

ARIA Usage (4.1.2)

Live Regions (4.1.3)

Visually Hidden Text

Output Format

Serious Issues

Moderate Issues

Testing Recommendations

Next Steps