Sibling contract
Accessibility
Accessibility is structural — it shapes the first version, not the last audit. This contract makes that principle machine-checkable.
Version 0.1.0 · provisional · machine export
Source authority
Primary engine
axe-core 4.12.1 (Deque Systems)
Conformance standard
W3C WCAG 2.2 (W3C Recommendation, 2023-10-05)
Provenance layer
W3C Accessibility Conformance Testing — act-rules.github.io
Conformance
Conformance level
WCAG 2.2 Level AA (includes all A and AA from WCAG 2.0, 2.1, 2.2)
Ruleset export
axe ruleset --wcag22 designesy-a11y-ruleset.json
Provenance chain
axe rule → ACT rule ID → WCAG success criterion → WCAG principle → remediation hint
Verification — 11 checks
01a01 · No WCAG 2.2 AA violations (axe-core wcag22aa ruleset)
02a02 · Color contrast passes AA 4.5:1 (normal), 3:1 (large)
03a03 · Keyboard navigation: tab order, focus-visible, no keyboard traps
04a04 · ARIA correctness: roles, labels, required children
05a05 · Form labels and error identification
06a06 · Heading hierarchy (h1 → h2 → h3, no skipped levels)
07a07 · Landmarks present (main, nav, footer)
08a08 · Target Size Minimum 2.5.8 (24x24px or spacing exception)
09a09 · Focus Not Obscured 2.4.11 (focused element not hidden)
10a10 · prefers-reduced-motion disables animations (core §16.8)
11a11 · No ATLAS naming on public surfaces (brand boundary)
11 checks. PASS=1, WARN=0.5, FAIL=0, N/A=excluded. Score = (points/applicable) × 100. A≥90, B≥80, C≥70, D≥60, F<60.
Open questions
- Server-side execution: CDP (existing infrastructure) vs Playwright (axe native driver)?
- AAA targeting: which WCAG 2.2 AAA criteria should Designesy target selectively?
- BridgePCA: adopt as contrast algorithm, or keep WCAG 2.2 with documented deviation?
- Accessibility floor: raise from 60% to 70%?
- Second-source triangulation: run IBM Equal Access Checker alongside axe?
Sibling contract to the design system v0.3.0. Machine export at /contracts/a11y.json.