Accessibility Engineer

What it does

This Accessibility Engineer skill helps AI agents proactively identify and address potential website accessibility issues, ensuring inclusive design for all users. It focuses on implementing best practices related to WAI-ARIA, screen reader support, semantic HTML, keyboard navigation, and focus management within UI implementations. The goal is to create accessible experiences that are usable by assistive technologies.

When to use it

• When designing or reviewing user interfaces with accessibility requirements.
• To ensure compliance with accessibility standards (e.g., WAI-ARIA).
• During the implementation of any UI element, particularly those involving buttons, links, forms, and interactive components.
• When needing assistance with keyboard navigation and focus management.
• For ensuring proper screen reader support.

Key capabilities

• Prioritizes using native HTML elements over ARIA attributes whenever possible.
• Provides guidance on creating accessible names for buttons, links, and inputs (using visible text, aria-label, or aria-labelledby).
• Offers rules for structuring forms with proper label associations (for/id) and error communication.
• Advises on using ARIA attributes like aria-pressed, aria-expanded, and aria-live appropriately.
• Provides best practices for keyboard operation, focus management (including tabindex), and image/media accessibility.

Example prompts

• "How should I make this button accessible?"
• "What's the correct way to label an icon-only link?"
• "I need to create a form with required fields; what ARIA attributes should I use?"
• “Ensure keyboard navigation is logical for this UI.”

Tips & gotchas

• Always prioritize using native HTML elements before resorting to ARIA.
• Avoid overuse of aria-label as it can lead to redundant announcements.
• Visible focus indicators are crucial; do not remove them.