Accessibility Blueprint

WCAG 2.1 AA compliance with keyboard navigation, focus management, ARIA attributes, skip links, screen reader support, contrast enforcement, and reduced motion preferences.

   
Feature accessibility
Category UI
Version 1.0.0
Tags accessibility, wcag, aria, keyboard-navigation, screen-reader, focus-management
YAML Source View on GitHub
JSON API accessibility.json

Fields

Name Type Required Label Description
component_id text Yes Component ID Validations: minLength
role select No ARIA Role  
aria_label text No ARIA Label  
aria_describedby text No Described By Element ID  
aria_live select No Live Region Politeness  
tab_index number No Tab Index  
alt_text text No Alternative Text  
contrast_ratio number No Contrast Ratio Validations: min
focus_trap_enabled boolean No Focus Trap Enabled  
reduced_motion boolean No Respect Reduced Motion  
skip_link_target text No Skip Link Target ID  

Rules

  • interactive_elements_keyboard_accessible:
    • description: All interactive elements (buttons, links, form controls, custom widgets) must be operable via keyboard alone. Elements must be reachable via Tab and activatable via Enter or Space as appropriate for their role.
  • images_require_alt_text:
    • description: All img elements and image-role elements must have meaningful alt text. Decorative images must use alt=”” or role=”presentation” to be hidden from assistive technology.
  • form_inputs_require_labels:
    • description: Every form input must have a visible label element associated via the for/id attribute pair, or an aria-label/aria-labelledby attribute. Placeholder text alone is not sufficient as a label.
  • modals_trap_focus:
    • description: When a modal dialog is open, keyboard focus must be trapped within the dialog. Tab and Shift+Tab cycle through focusable elements inside the modal. Focus returns to the triggering element when the modal closes.
  • error_messages_linked_via_aria:
    • description: Form validation error messages must be programmatically associated with their input via aria-describedby. Error messages must also be announced to screen readers using aria-live=”polite” or role=”alert”.
  • color_contrast_minimum:
    • description: Normal text must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background. Large text (18pt or 14pt bold) requires at least 3:1. UI components and graphical objects require at least 3:1.
  • respect_reduced_motion:
    • description: When the user has prefers-reduced-motion: reduce set, all non-essential animations and transitions must be disabled or reduced to simple opacity fades under 200ms.
  • skip_navigation_link:
    • description: Pages must provide a skip link as the first focusable element that jumps to the main content area, bypassing repetitive navigation blocks.
  • live_regions_for_dynamic_content:
    • description: Dynamic content updates (loading states, success/error messages, counters) must use aria-live regions so screen readers announce changes without requiring the user to navigate to the updated area.
  • focus_visible_indicator:
    • description: All focusable elements must have a visible focus indicator that meets WCAG 2.1 focus-visible requirements. The focus ring must have at least 3:1 contrast against adjacent colors.

Outcomes

Keyboard_navigation_works (Priority: 1)

Given:

  • a page contains interactive elements (buttons, links, form controls)
  • user navigates using only keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space, Escape)

Then:

  • set_field target: tab_index — All interactive elements included in logical tab order

Result: All interactive elements are reachable and operable via keyboard alone

Skip_link_bypasses_navigation (Priority: 2) — Error: A11Y_SKIP_LINK_MISSING

Given:

  • a page has repetitive navigation blocks
  • skip link is the first focusable element
  • user activates the skip link

Then:

  • set_field target: skip_link_target — Focus moves to main content area bypassing navigation

Result: User can skip repetitive navigation and jump directly to main content

Modal_focus_trapped (Priority: 3) — Error: A11Y_FOCUS_TRAP_FAILED

Given:

  • a modal dialog is opened
  • focus_trap_enabled (input) eq true

Then:

  • set_field target: focus_trap_enabled value: true — Focus confined to modal, Tab/Shift+Tab cycle within dialog
  • emit_event event: accessibility.focus.trapped

Result: Focus is trapped within the modal until it is dismissed

Screen_reader_announces_updates (Priority: 4)

Given:

  • dynamic content on the page changes (loading, success, error)
  • aria_live (input) in polite,assertive

Then:

  • emit_event event: accessibility.live_region.updated

Result: Screen reader announces the content change without user navigation

Form_error_announced (Priority: 5)

Given:

  • a form field fails validation
  • an error message element exists for the field

Then:

  • set_field target: aria_describedby — Error message ID linked to input via aria-describedby
  • emit_event event: accessibility.error.announced

Result: Validation error is programmatically linked to input and announced by screen reader

Contrast_ratio_enforced (Priority: 6) — Error: A11Y_CONTRAST_INSUFFICIENT

Given:

  • text or UI component is rendered
  • contrast_ratio (computed) lt 4.5

Result: Element flagged as failing WCAG AA contrast requirements

Reduced_motion_respected (Priority: 7)

Given:

  • user has prefers-reduced-motion: reduce enabled
  • reduced_motion (system) eq true

Then:

  • set_field target: reduced_motion value: true — Non-essential animations disabled or reduced to opacity fades under 200ms

Result: Animations suppressed for users who prefer reduced motion

Image_missing_alt_text (Priority: 8) — Error: A11Y_MISSING_ALT_TEXT

Given:

  • an image element is rendered
  • alt_text (input) not_exists

Result: Image flagged as missing alternative text for assistive technology

Errors

Code Status Message Retry
A11Y_CONTRAST_INSUFFICIENT 400 Color contrast ratio does not meet WCAG 2.1 AA minimum of 4.5:1 for normal text. No
A11Y_MISSING_ALT_TEXT 400 Image element is missing alternative text required for screen reader access. No
A11Y_MISSING_LABEL 400 Form input is missing an associated label element or aria-label attribute. No
A11Y_FOCUS_TRAP_FAILED 500 Modal dialog failed to trap focus within its boundaries. No
A11Y_SKIP_LINK_MISSING 400 Page is missing a skip navigation link as the first focusable element. No

Events

Event Description Payload
accessibility.focus.trapped Focus was successfully trapped within a modal dialog component_id, role
accessibility.live_region.updated A live region announced dynamic content to assistive technology component_id, aria_live, content
accessibility.error.announced A validation error was linked to its input and announced component_id, error_message
accessibility.audit.completed Automated accessibility audit completed on a page or component page_url, violations_count, warnings_count
Feature Relationship Reason
form-builder recommended Form builder should enforce accessible labels, error linking, and keyboard operation
theme-configuration recommended Theme system must enforce color contrast ratios for all color combinations
responsive-layout optional Responsive layouts should maintain focus order and landmark structure across breakpoints
dark-mode optional Dark mode theme must independently meet WCAG contrast requirements

AGI Readiness

Goals

Reliable Accessibility

WCAG 2.1 AA compliance with keyboard navigation, focus management, ARIA attributes, skip links, screen reader support, contrast enforcement, and reduced motion preferences.

Success Metrics:

Metric Target Measurement
success_rate >= 99% Successful operations divided by total attempts
error_rate < 1% Failed operations divided by total attempts

Autonomy

Level: semi_autonomous

Escalation Triggers:

  • error_rate > 5

Tradeoffs

Prefer Over Reason
accessibility aesthetics UI must be usable by all users including those with disabilities

Safety

Action Permission Cooldown Max Auto
keyboard_navigation_works autonomous - -
skip_link_bypasses_navigation autonomous - -
modal_focus_trapped autonomous - -
screen_reader_announces_updates supervised - -
form_error_announced autonomous - -
contrast_ratio_enforced autonomous - -
reduced_motion_respected autonomous - -
image_missing_alt_text autonomous - -