A11Y Checker

Accessibility Checker Skill

This skill performs comprehensive CSS accessibility audits based on WCAG 2.2 guidelines. I'll identify issues and provide specific, actionable fixes to make your styles more accessible.

What I Check

Visual Accessibility

• Color contrast ratios (text, UI components)
• Text sizing and readability
• Focus indicators
• Visual hierarchy
• Spacing and target sizes

Motion & Animation

• Reduced motion support
• Animation safety (no seizure triggers)
• Auto-playing content
• Parallax effects

Interaction

• Keyboard navigation
• Focus management
• Interactive element states
• Touch target sizes

Screen Readers

• Visually hidden but accessible content
• Display/visibility usage
• Content order
• Skip links

WCAG 2.2 Guidelines I Follow

Level A (Must Have)

• 1.4.1: Color not sole indicator
• 2.1.1: Keyboard accessible
• 2.4.1: Skip navigation
• 3.2.1: Consistent on focus

Level AA (Should Have)

• 1.4.3: Contrast minimum (4.5:1)
• 1.4.11: Non-text contrast (3:1)
• 2.4.7: Focus visible
• 2.5.5: Target size (44x44px)

Level AAA (Best Practice)

• 1.4.6: Contrast enhanced (7:1)
• 1.4.8: Visual presentation
• 2.4.8: Location indication

Common Issues & Fixes

1. Missing Focus Indicators

❌ Problem

/* Removes default focus outline */
button:focus {
  outline: none;
}

/* No visible focus indicator */
.link:focus {
  text-decoration: underline;
}

✓ Solution

/* Clear, visible focus indicator */
button:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid #0066cc;
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

/* High contrast focus ring */
.link:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid currentColor;
  outline-offset: 4px;
  text-decoration: underline;
}

/* Fallback for browsers without :focus-visible */
button:focus {
  outline: 2px solid #0066cc;
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

button:focus:not(:focus-visible) {
  outline: none;
}

2. Insufficient Color Contrast

❌ Problem

/* 2.85:1 contrast - fails AA */
.text-muted {
  color: #999999;
  background: #ffffff;
}

/* 3.2:1 contrast - fails AA for normal text */
.button {
  color: #3b82f6;
  background: #ffffff;
}

✓ Solution

/* 7.03:1 contrast - passes AAA */
.text-muted {
  color: #666666;
  background: #ffffff;
}

/* 7.02:1 contrast - passes AAA */
.button {
  color: #2563eb;
  background: #ffffff;
}

/* Alternative: Use for large text only */
.large-text {
  font-size: 18px;  /* or 14px bold */
  color: #3b82f6;   /* 4.52:1 - passes AA for large text */
}

3. Tiny Touch Targets

❌ Problem

/* 20x20px - too small */
.icon-button {
  width: 20px;
  height: 20px;
  padding: 0;
}

✓ Solution

/* 44x44px - meets WCAG 2.5.5 */
.icon-button {
  width: 44px;
  height: 44px;
  padding: 12px;  /* 20px icon + 12px padding each side */
}

/* Or use minimum size */
.icon-button {
  min-width: 44px;
  min-height: 44px;
  padding: 0.75rem;
}

4. No Reduced Motion Support

❌ Problem

/* Animated without considering preferences */
.animated {
  animation: spin 2s infinite;
  transition: all 0.5s ease;
}

✓ Solution

/* Respects user preferences */
.animated {
  animation: spin 2s infinite;
  transition: all 0.5s ease;
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .animated {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms;
    animation-iteration-count: 1;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms;
  }
}

/* Or completely remove animations */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  *,
  *::before,
  *::after {
    animation-play-state: paused !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
  }
}

5. Hidden from Screen Readers

❌ Problem

/* Hidden from everyone including screen readers */
.error-message {
  display: none;
}

.announcement {
  visibility: hidden;
}

✓ Solution

/* Visually hidden but accessible to screen readers */
.sr-only {
  position: absolute;
  width: 1px;
  height: 1px;
  padding: 0;
  margin: -1px;
  overflow: hidden;
  clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);
  white-space: nowrap;
  border-width: 0;
}

/* Hidden until shown (keeps in DOM) */
.error-message {
  position: absolute;
  left: -9999px;
  opacity: 0;
}

.error-message.visible {
  position: static;
  opacity: 1;
}

6. Small Text

❌ Problem

/* 10px - too small to read */
.caption {
  font-size: 10px;
}

/* Fixed pixel sizes don't scale */
body {
  font-size: 14px;
}

✓ Solution

/* Minimum 12px, uses relative units */
.caption {
  font-size: 0.75rem;  /* 12px if root is 16px */
}

/* Uses relative units for scalability */
body {
  font-size: 1rem;  /* 16px default, scales with user preferences */
}

.small {
  font-size: 0.875rem;  /* 14px */
}

/* Or use clamp for fluid sizing */
body {
  font-size: clamp(1rem, 2vw, 1.125rem);
}

7. Insufficient Line Height

❌ Problem

/* 1.1 line height - too tight */
.text {
  line-height: 1.1;
}

✓ Solution

/* 1.5 line height - WCAG recommendation */
.text {
  line-height: 1.5;
}

/* Adjust for different text sizes */
.heading {
  line-height: 1.2;  /* Tighter for large text */
}

.body {
  line-height: 1.5;  /* Normal for body text */
}

.caption {
  line-height: 1.4;  /* Slightly tighter for small text */
}

8. CSS-Only Interactions

❌ Problem

/* Hover-only dropdown - not keyboard accessible */
.nav-item:hover .dropdown {
  display: block;
}

/* CSS-only toggle - not accessible */
#toggle:checked + .content {
  display: block;
}

✓ Solution

/* Keyboard accessible dropdown */
.nav-item:hover .dropdown,
.nav-item:focus-within .dropdown {
  display: block;
}

/* Or better: use JavaScript for complex interactions */

/* For toggle, ensure keyboard access */
.toggle-button:focus + .content,
.toggle-button[aria-expanded="true"] + .content {
  display: block;
}

Accessibility Audit Checklist

Color & Contrast

• Text has 4.5:1 contrast (AA) or 7:1 (AAA)
• Large text has 3:1 contrast (AA) or 4.5:1 (AAA)
• UI components have 3:1 contrast
• Focus indicators have 3:1 contrast
• Information not conveyed by color alone

Typography

• Base font size at least 16px
• Line height at least 1.5 for body text
• Text can be resized to 200% without loss
• Max line length 70-80 characters
• Sufficient letter and word spacing

Focus & Keyboard

• All interactive elements keyboard accessible
• Visible focus indicators on all elements
• Focus order follows logical reading order
• No keyboard traps
• Skip navigation links available

Touch & Interaction

• Touch targets at least 44x44px
• Adequate spacing between clickable elements
• Hover states also have focus states
• No hover-only interactions

Motion & Animation

• Respects prefers-reduced-motion
• No auto-playing animations
• No flashing/strobing (3+ times per second)
• Animations can be paused

Screen Readers

• Important content not hidden with display:none
• Decorative images hidden with CSS
• Content order makes sense
• Visually hidden text uses proper technique

Complete Accessible Component Example

/* Accessible button component */
.button {
  /* Size & spacing */
  min-width: 44px;
  min-height: 44px;
  padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;
  font-size: 1rem;  /* 16px */

  /* Contrast */
  background: #2563eb;  /* 7.02:1 on white */
  color: white;         /* 9.52:1 on button bg */
  border: 2px solid transparent;

  /* Typography */
  font-weight: 600;
  line-height: 1;
  text-align: center;

  /* Visual */
  border-radius: 0.375rem;
  cursor: pointer;
  transition: all 0.2s ease;
}

/* Hover state */
.button:hover {
  background: #1d4ed8;  /* Darker, higher contrast */
  transform: translateY(-1px);
}

/* Focus state */
.button:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid #0066cc;
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

/* Active state */
.button:active {
  transform: translateY(0);
}

/* Disabled state */
.button:disabled {
  background: #93c5fd;
  color: #1e40af;
  cursor: not-allowed;
  opacity: 0.7;
}

/* Reduced motion */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .button {
    transition-duration: 0.01ms;
  }

  .button:hover {
    transform: none;
  }
}

/* High contrast mode */
@media (prefers-contrast: high) {
  .button {
    border-color: currentColor;
  }
}

Testing Tools I Recommend

• Chrome DevTools - Lighthouse accessibility audit
• axe DevTools - Browser extension for accessibility testing
• WAVE - Web accessibility evaluation tool
• Color Contrast Analyzer - Desktop tool for contrast checking
• Keyboard testing - Navigate with Tab, Arrow keys, Enter, Escape
• Screen readers - NVDA (Windows), JAWS (Windows), VoiceOver (Mac/iOS)

Example Usage

You: "Audit this button for accessibility issues"

.button {
  font-size: 12px;
  padding: 5px 10px;
  color: #999;
  background: white;
  border: 1px solid #ccc;
}

.button:focus {
  outline: none;
}

I'll respond:

Issues Found:

1. 🔴 CRITICAL: No focus indicator

   • WCAG 2.4.7 (Level AA)
   • Fix: Add visible outline on :focus-visible

2. 🔴 CRITICAL: Insufficient contrast

   • Color #999 on white = 2.85:1 (fails 4.5:1 requirement)
   • WCAG 1.4.3 (Level AA)
   • Fix: Use #666 for 5.74:1 contrast

3. 🟠 IMPORTANT: Small touch target

   • 25x18px (estimated)
   • WCAG 2.5.5 recommends 44x44px
   • Fix: Increase padding

4. 🟠 IMPORTANT: Small text size

   • 12px may be difficult to read
   • Fix: Use at least 14px (0.875rem) or 16px (1rem)

Corrected Code:

.button {
  /* Size */
  min-width: 44px;
  min-height: 44px;
  padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;

  /* Typography */
  font-size: 1rem;  /* 16px */
  font-weight: 500;

  /* Colors - AAA compliant */
  color: #1f2937;  /* 14.07:1 on white */
  background: white;
  border: 2px solid #6b7280;  /* 5.77:1 on white */

  /* Interaction */
  cursor: pointer;
  transition: all 0.2s ease;
}

.button:hover {
  border-color: #374151;
  background: #f9fafb;
}

.button:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid #2563eb;
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .button {
    transition-duration: 0.01ms;
  }
}

Just Ask!

Request an accessibility audit:

• "Check this CSS for accessibility issues"
• "Audit my button styles"
• "Review focus indicators"
• "Check color contrast"
• "Verify WCAG compliance"

I'll identify problems and provide fixes!