Tailwind CSS Accessibility

Accessible-by-default patterns using Tailwind CSS v4.1 utility classes.

Agent Workflow (MANDATORY)

Before ANY implementation, use TeamCreate to spawn 3 agents:

1. fuse-ai-pilot:explore-codebase - Analyze existing a11y patterns
2. fuse-ai-pilot:research-expert - Verify latest WCAG 2.2 guidelines
3. mcp__context7__query-docs - Check Tailwind CSS a11y utilities

After implementation, run fuse-ai-pilot:sniper for validation.

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Overview

When to Use

• Implementing keyboard-accessible interactive elements
• Adding screen reader support to visual-only content
• Respecting user motion preferences
• Ensuring sufficient color contrast ratios
• Meeting WCAG 2.2 AA/AAA compliance requirements
• Creating accessible touch targets for mobile

Why Tailwind for Accessibility

Feature	Benefit
focus-visible	Keyboard-only focus rings, no mouse clutter
sr-only	Screen reader content without visual display
motion-safe/reduce	Respects prefers-reduced-motion
Utility composition	Consistent a11y patterns across components
CSS-first config	Centralized a11y defaults via @theme

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Critical Rules

1. Always use focus-visible — Not focus for interactive elements
2. Never hide content from screen readers — Use sr-only instead of hidden
3. Respect motion preferences — Wrap animations in motion-safe:
4. Minimum touch target 44x44px — Use min-h-11 min-w-11 (2.75rem)
5. Contrast ratios — 4.5:1 for text, 3:1 for large text (WCAG AA)
6. Semantic HTML first — Tailwind enhances, never replaces semantics

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Quick Reference

Focus States

<button class="focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-2
  focus-visible:outline-primary rounded-md">
  Accessible Button
</button>

Screen Reader Only

<span class="sr-only">Open navigation menu</span>

Reduced Motion

<div class="motion-safe:animate-bounce motion-reduce:animate-none">
  Animated content
</div>

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Best Practices

1. Focus rings on all interactive elements — Buttons, links, inputs
2. Skip links — Add skip-to-content for keyboard navigation
3. ARIA labels — Supplement with aria-label when visual text absent
4. Color is not the only indicator — Use icons/text alongside color
5. Test with keyboard only — Tab through entire UI flow
6. Test with screen reader — VoiceOver (macOS), NVDA (Windows)

Reference Guide

Need	Reference
Focus rings, keyboard nav	focus-patterns.md
sr-only, contrast, touch targets	wcag-utilities.md