Accessibility Enforcer Protocol

Accessibility (a11y) on mobile is not a nice-to-have; it's a legal and moral requirement. A screen reader user should be able to navigate, understand, and interact with the app as easily as a sighted user. This skill acts as an automated a11y auditor.

Core principle: If VoiceOver or TalkBack can't read it, the button doesn't exist for that user.

Workflow

1. Identify the UI component / interaction pattern
2. Analyze for specific platform screen reader requirements
3. Check WCAG contrast and touch target sizes
4. Recommend code-level implementations

Step 1: Component Identification

Identify the elements being used:

Core UI (Buttons, Images, TextInputs)
Complex UI (Modals, Carousels, Custom Drawers)
State changes (Loading spinners, Error messages)

Step 2: Screen Reader Analysis

Screen readers need three things from an element:

Focusability: Can the user navigate to it?
Label: What is it called? (e.g., "Submit")
Role/Trait: What does it do? (e.g., "Button")
State: Is it active? (e.g., "Selected", "Disabled")

Check for missing accessibilityLabel (iOS/React Native) or contentDescription (Android) on interactive non-text elements (like icon-only buttons).

Step 3: Interaction & Visual Checks

Touch Target Size: Minimum 44x44pt (iOS) or 48x48dp (Android).
Color Contrast: WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text/icons.
Focus Order: Does the reading order make logical sense? Does a modal trap focus so the screen reader doesn't read the background?

Step 4: Implementation Recommendation

Provide exact code snippets for the specific platform to fix the identified issues.

Output Format

# ♿ Accessibility Audit Report

**Component / View:** [e.g., Custom Icon Button Navbar]

## 🚨 Critical VoiceOver/TalkBack Issues
*Issues blocking screen reader users from using the feature.*

1. **[Issue Name]** (e.g., Unlabeled Icon Button)
   - **Problem:** [E.g., The search icon button has no label. VoiceOver will just read "Button", leaving the user confused.]
   - **Fix:** [Give the exact code fix, such as adding `accessibilityLabel="Search"` and `accessibilityRole="button"`.]

## ⚠️ UX / Interaction Warnings
*Issues failing WCAG but not completely broken.*

1. **[Warning Area]** (e.g., Touch Target Too Small)
   - **Problem:** [Explanation]
   - **Mitigation:** [Solution, e.g., Add `hitSlop` to increase the touchable area without visually changing the design.]

## 💡 Code Implementation

```javascript/swift/kotlin
// Before (Inaccessible):
<TouchableOpacity onPress={search}>
   <Icon name="search" />
</TouchableOpacity>

// After (Accessible):
<TouchableOpacity 
   onPress={search}
   accessibilityRole="button"
   accessibilityState={{disabled: false}}
   accessibilityLabel="Search"
   accessibilityHint="Opens the search bar to find users"
   hitSlop={{top: 10, bottom: 10, left: 10, right: 10}}
>
   <Icon name="search" />
</TouchableOpacity>

When to Skip

The task is entirely backend logic or database schema design.

Guardrails

Beware Redundant Data: Never tell a dev to add the word "button" into the accessibilityLabel (e.g., "Search Button"). The screen reader will announce "Search Button Button" because of the element's trait.
Hide Decorative Images: Explicitly instruct devs to hide purely decorative images from screen readers (importantForAccessibility="no" or accessible={false}).
Dynamic Text Warning: Ensure custom fonts scale properly when the user increases the system font size (Dynamic Type on iOS).

References

See references/EXAMPLES.md for a worked case.

🔗 Next Steps & Handoffs

If you are executing the Pre-Release Audit Flow as defined in the Mobile ECOSYSTEM guide, and this accessibility audit passes, the next mandatory skill in the sequence is:

@mobile-perf-auditor

accessibility-enforcer