
accessibility engineer
Implement accessibility (a11y) best practices to make applications usable by everyone. Use when building UIs, conducting accessibility audits, or ensuring WCAG compliance. Covers screen readers, keyboard navigation, ARIA attributes, and inclusive design patterns.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/daffy0208/ai-dev-standards --skill accessibility-engineer- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads accessibility engineer automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Accessibility Engineer
Build for everyone - accessibility is not optional.
Core Principle
Accessibility is a civil right, not a feature.
1 in 4 adults in the US has a disability. Accessible design benefits everyone:
- Blind users (screen readers)
- Low vision users (zoom, high contrast)
- Deaf users (captions)
- Motor disabilities (keyboard-only)
- Cognitive disabilities (clear language)
- Temporary disabilities (broken arm)
- Situational limitations (bright sunlight, noisy environment)
WCAG Compliance Levels
Level A: Minimum (legal requirement) Level AA: Industry standard (aim for this) Level AAA: Gold standard (difficult to achieve for all content)
Target: WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
Pillar 1: Semantic HTML
Use the Right Elements
// ❌ Bad: Divs for everything (no semantic meaning)
<div onClick={handleClick}>Click me</div>
<div>Menu</div>
// ✅ Good: Semantic HTML
<button onClick={handleClick}>Click me</button>
<nav>Menu</nav>
Document Structure
// ✅ Proper heading hierarchy
<h1>Page Title</h1>
<h2>Section 1</h2>
<h3>Subsection 1.1</h3>
<h2>Section 2</h2>
// ❌ Bad: Skipping levels
<h1>Page Title</h1>
<h4>Section 1</h4> // Skipped h2, h3
Landmarks
<header>
<nav aria-label="Main navigation">
{/* Navigation links */}
</nav>
</header>
<main>
<article>
{/* Main content */}
</article>
<aside>
{/* Sidebar */}
</aside>
</main>
<footer>
{/* Footer content */}
</footer>
Pillar 2: Keyboard Navigation
All Interactive Elements Must Be Keyboard Accessible
// ✅ Button is keyboard accessible by default
<button onClick={handleClick}>Click me</button>
// ❌ Div requires extra work
<div onClick={handleClick}>Click me</div> // Can't tab to it!
// ✅ If you must use div, add keyboard support
<div
role="button"
tabIndex={0}
onClick={handleClick}
onKeyDown={(e) => {
if (e.key === 'Enter' || e.key === ' ') {
handleClick()
}
}}
>
Click me
</div>
Tab Order
// ✅ Natural tab order (follows DOM order)
<input />
<button>Submit</button>
<a href="/help">Help</a>
// ❌ Don't use tabIndex > 0 (breaks natural order)
<button tabIndex={5}>Button</button> // Anti-pattern!
// ✅ tabIndex=-1 to remove from tab order
<div tabIndex={-1}>Not keyboard focusable</div>
Focus Management
// Modal: Trap focus inside
function Modal({ isOpen, onClose, children }) {
const modalRef = useRef()
useEffect(() => {
if (!isOpen) return
// Focus first focusable element
const firstFocusable = modalRef.current.querySelector('button, input, a')
firstFocusable?.focus()
// Trap focus
function handleTab(e) {
if (e.key !== 'Tab') return
const focusableElements = modalRef.current.querySelectorAll(
'button, input, a, [tabindex]:not([tabindex="-1"])'
)
const first = focusableElements[0]
const last = focusableElements[focusableElements.length - 1]
if (e.shiftKey) {
if (document.activeElement === first) {
last.focus()
e.preventDefault()
}
} else {
if (document.activeElement === last) {
first.focus()
e.preventDefault()
}
}
}
document.addEventListener('keydown', handleTab)
return () => document.removeEventListener('keydown', handleTab)
}, [isOpen])
return isOpen ? (
<div role="dialog" aria-modal="true" ref={modalRef}>
{children}
<button onClick={onClose}>Close</button>
</div>
) : null
}
Skip Links
// Allow keyboard users to skip navigation
<a href="#main-content" className="skip-link">
Skip to main content
</a>
<nav>{/* Navigation */}</nav>
<main id="main-content">
{/* Main content */}
</main>
// CSS
.skip-link {
position: absolute;
top: -40px;
left: 0;
background: #000;
color: #fff;
padding: 8px;
}
.skip-link:focus {
top: 0;
}
Pillar 3: ARIA Attributes
Only Use ARIA When Semantic HTML Isn't Enough
// ✅ Semantic HTML (no ARIA needed)
<button>Click me</button>
// ❌ Unnecessary ARIA
<button role="button" aria-label="Click me">Click me</button>
// ✅ ARIA needed (custom widget)
<div role="tab" aria-selected={isActive} aria-controls="panel-1">
Tab 1
</div>
Common ARIA Attributes
aria-label - Provides accessible name:
<button aria-label="Close dialog">
<XIcon /> {/* Visual only */}
</button>
<input type="search" aria-label="Search products" />
aria-labelledby - References another element:
<h2 id="dialog-title">Delete Account</h2>
<div role="dialog" aria-labelledby="dialog-title">
{/* Dialog content */}
</div>
aria-describedby - Additional description:
<input
type="password"
aria-describedby="password-requirements"
/>
<div id="password-requirements">
Must be at least 8 characters
</div>
aria-live - Announce dynamic content:
// Polite: Wait for user to finish
<div aria-live="polite">
{itemsAddedToCart} items added to cart
</div>
// Assertive: Interrupt immediately (use sparingly)
<div aria-live="assertive" role="alert">
Error: Payment failed
</div>
aria-expanded - Collapsible content:
<button
aria-expanded={isOpen}
aria-controls="dropdown-menu"
onClick={() => setIsOpen(!isOpen)}
>
Menu
</button>
<div id="dropdown-menu" hidden={!isOpen}>
{/* Menu items */}
</div>
aria-hidden - Hide from screen readers:
// Decorative icons
<span aria-hidden="true">★</span>
// Don't hide interactive elements!
// ❌ Bad
<button aria-hidden="true">Click me</button>
Pillar 4: Forms & Inputs
Labels
// ✅ Good: Explicit label
<label htmlFor="email">Email</label>
<input id="email" type="email" />
// ✅ Good: Implicit label
<label>
Email
<input type="email" />
</label>
// ❌ Bad: No label (placeholder is not a label!)
<input type="email" placeholder="Email" />
Error Messages
function EmailInput({ error }) {
const errorId = 'email-error'
return (
<>
<label htmlFor="email">Email</label>
<input
id="email"
type="email"
aria-invalid={!!error}
aria-describedby={error ? errorId : undefined}
/>
{error && (
<div id={errorId} role="alert">
{error}
</div>
)}
</>
)
}
Required Fields
<label htmlFor="name">
Name <span aria-label="required">*</span>
</label>
<input id="name" type="text" required aria-required="true" />
Pillar 5: Color & Contrast
Minimum Contrast Ratios (WCAG AA)
- Normal text (< 18pt): 4.5:1
- Large text (≥ 18pt or 14pt bold): 3:1
- UI components: 3:1
// ❌ Bad: Insufficient contrast
<button style={{ background: '#ddd', color: '#aaa' }}>
Submit // 1.5:1 contrast - fails!
</button>
// ✅ Good: Sufficient contrast
<button style={{ background: '#0066cc', color: '#ffffff' }}>
Submit // 8:1 contrast - passes!
</button>
Don't Use Color Alone
// ❌ Bad: Color only
<span style={{ color: 'red' }}>Error</span>
<span style={{ color: 'green' }}>Success</span>
// ✅ Good: Color + icon/text
<span style={{ color: 'red' }}>
<ErrorIcon aria-hidden="true" />
Error
</span>
Pillar 6: Images & Media
Alt Text
// ✅ Informative images
<img src="chart.png" alt="Sales increased 50% in Q4" />
// ✅ Decorative images
<img src="decorative-border.png" alt="" /> // Empty alt
// ❌ Bad: No alt or redundant alt
<img src="photo.jpg" /> // Missing alt
<img src="photo.jpg" alt="Photo" /> // Useless
Complex Images
<figure>
<img src="complex-chart.png" alt="Sales data for 2024" />
<figcaption>
<details>
<summary>Detailed description</summary>
<p>Q1: $100k, Q2: $150k, Q3: $180k, Q4: $220k. Shows 50% growth year-over-year.</p>
</details>
</figcaption>
</figure>
Video Captions
<video controls>
<source src="video.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<track kind="captions" src="captions.vtt" srclang="en" label="English" default />
</video>
Pillar 7: Testing
Automated Testing
# Lighthouse accessibility audit
lighthouse https://example.com --only-categories=accessibility
# axe-core (Jest)
npm install --save-dev @axe-core/react jest-axe
// Test with jest-axe
import { axe, toHaveNoViolations } from 'jest-axe'
expect.extend(toHaveNoViolations)
it('has no accessibility violations', async () => {
const { container } = render(<Button>Click me</Button>)
const results = await axe(container)
expect(results).toHaveNoViolations()
})
Manual Testing
Keyboard Navigation:
- Tab through entire page
- Enter/Space to activate buttons
- Arrow keys for radio groups
- Esc to close modals
Screen Reader Testing:
- NVDA (Windows, free)
- JAWS (Windows, paid)
- VoiceOver (Mac, built-in)
Screen Reader Shortcuts:
- Navigate by headings: H (next), Shift+H (previous)
- Navigate by landmarks: D (next), Shift+D (previous)
- List all links: Insert+F7 (NVDA)
Common Patterns
Accessible Button
<button
type="button"
onClick={handleClick}
disabled={isDisabled}
aria-busy={isLoading}
aria-label={ariaLabel}
>
{children}
</button>
Accessible Modal
<div
role="dialog"
aria-modal="true"
aria-labelledby="dialog-title"
aria-describedby="dialog-description"
>
<h2 id="dialog-title">Dialog Title</h2>
<p id="dialog-description">Dialog description</p>
<button onClick={onClose}>Close</button>
</div>
Accessible Tabs
<div>
<div role="tablist">
<button
role="tab"
aria-selected={activeTab === 'tab1'}
aria-controls="panel1"
onClick={() => setActiveTab('tab1')}
>
Tab 1
</button>
<button
role="tab"
aria-selected={activeTab === 'tab2'}
aria-controls="panel2"
onClick={() => setActiveTab('tab2')}
>
Tab 2
</button>
</div>
<div id="panel1" role="tabpanel" hidden={activeTab !== 'tab1'}>
Panel 1 content
</div>
<div id="panel2" role="tabpanel" hidden={activeTab !== 'tab2'}>
Panel 2 content
</div>
</div>
Accessibility Checklist
Semantic HTML
- Proper heading hierarchy (h1 → h2 → h3)
- Semantic landmarks (header, nav, main, footer)
- Lists use ul/ol/li
- Buttons for actions, links for navigation
Keyboard
- All interactive elements keyboard accessible
- Visible focus indicators
- Logical tab order
- Skip links provided
- No keyboard traps
ARIA
- Semantic HTML used first (ARIA only when needed)
- All interactive widgets have roles
- Dynamic content has aria-live
- Forms have proper labels and descriptions
Color & Contrast
- Text contrast ≥ 4.5:1 (normal), ≥ 3:1 (large)
- Don't use color alone to convey info
- Focus indicators visible
Images & Media
- All images have alt text
- Decorative images have empty alt
- Videos have captions
- Audio has transcripts
Forms
- All inputs have labels
- Error messages associated with inputs
- Required fields indicated
Testing
- Keyboard navigation tested
- Screen reader tested
- Automated tools run (axe, Lighthouse)
- Color blindness simulation tested
Tools
- axe DevTools - Browser extension
- Lighthouse - Built into Chrome DevTools
- WAVE - Web accessibility evaluation tool
- Color Contrast Analyzer - Desktop app
- NVDA - Free screen reader (Windows)
- VoiceOver - Built-in screen reader (Mac)
Related Resources
Skills:
ux-designer- Accessible design patternsfrontend-builder- Accessible React componentstesting-strategist- Accessibility testing
External:
Build for everyone. ♿
FAQ
What does the accessibility engineer skill do?
Implement accessibility (a11y) best practices to make applications usable by everyone. Use when building UIs, conducting accessibility audits, or ensuring WCAG compliance. Covers screen readers, keyboard navigation, ARIA attributes, and inclusive design patterns.
How do I install accessibility engineer?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/daffy0208/ai-dev-standards --skill accessibility-engineer in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/accessibility-engineer/ (personal) or .claude/skills/accessibility-engineer/ (project).
Which AI agents can use accessibility engineer?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is accessibility engineer safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains accessibility engineer?
It is published by daffy0208 in daffy0208/ai-dev-standards. It has 177 recorded installs.
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