Authoritative Sources

Authoritative Sources for Accessibility Rules

All accessibility rules, WCAG criteria, and remediation guidance in the agents platform are grounded in authoritative sources. This document maps agent recommendations to their original sources.

Web Accessibility (WCAG 2.2)

Primary Authority

• WCAG 2.2 Specification — W3C official standard
  • Link: https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/
  • Conformance levels: A, AA, AAA
  • Published: October 5, 2023
  • Latest: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/

Implementation Guidance

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Understanding Documents — W3C

  • Link: https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/
  • Explains each success criterion with examples and techniques

• Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) 1.2 — W3C

  • Link: https://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-1.2/
  • Define roles, states, properties for accessible custom widgets
  • Used by: aria-specialist, keyboard-navigator, modal-specialist agents

Technical Rules & Tools

• axe DevTools Rules — Deque University

  • Link: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/
  • Provides rule IDs, WCAG mappings, impact assessments
  • Used by: web-accessibility-wizard, cross-page-analyzer agents
  • Coverage: 80+ rules across all WCAG success criteria

• axe-core on GitHub — Deque Systems

  • Link: https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core
  • Open-source accessibility testing engine
  • Rule definitions and automated test implementations

Document Accessibility (PDF/UA, Office)

PDF Accessibility

• PDF/UA-1 Specification — International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

  • Link: https://www.pdfa.org/pdfua/
  • Standard for universally accessible PDF documents
  • Published: ISO 14289-1:2014-07
  • Latest: ISO 14289-1:2023

• Matterhorn Protocol — PDF Association

  • Link: https://www.pdfa.org/matterhorn/
  • Provides 40+ rules for PDF/UA conformance testing
  • Organized in three layers: conformance, best practices, quality

Office Documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

• Microsoft Accessibility Checker Rules — Microsoft Docs

  • Link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-the-accessibility-checker-to-find-accessibility-issues-6d4ee7f0-5783-465a-85a6-3ea1a1e5606f
  • Built-in Office accessibility standards
  • Mapped to WCAG 2.1 AA

• Microsoft Office Accessibility Guidance — Microsoft Docs

  • Word: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-accessible-word-documents-d9bf3683-a084-4c31-9ed2-60a20beac772
  • Excel: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-accessible-excel-workbooks-47003059-bda5-466b-913d-fe0065038517
  • PowerPoint: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-accessible-powerpoint-presentations-6f7db7eb-d335-4b7e-835c-f373f9099e3e

WCAG Conformance for Documents

• WCAG 2.1 AA for Office — W3C / Microsoft collaboration
  • Office document rules must conform to WCAG 2.1 AA minimum
  • Non-text content (images): WCAG 1.1.1
  • Semantics (headings, lists): WCAG 1.3.1
  • Color contrast: WCAG 1.4.3
  • Link purpose: WCAG 2.4.4

Markdown Documentation Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 for Markdown

• WCAG 2.2 Understanding Links — W3C

  • Link: https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/link-purpose-link-only.html
  • Rule: 2.4.9 "Link Purpose (Link Only)"
  • Applies to markdown hyperlinks

• WCAG 2.2 Understanding Headings — W3C

  • Link: https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/headings-and-labels.html
  • Rule: 2.4.10 "Section Headings"
  • Applies to markdown heading structure

Markdown Processing Standards

• Markdown Specification — CommonMark

  • Link: https://spec.commonmark.org/
  • Standard markdown syntax and parsing
  • Used by most documentation tools

• GitHub Flavored Markdown — GitHub Docs

  • Link: https://github.github.com/gfm/
  • Extends CommonMark with tables, strikethrough, autolinks
  • Used by most documentation platforms

Desktop Application Accessibility

Platform-Specific Standards

• Windows UI Automation (UIA) — Microsoft Docs

  • Link: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/winauto/entry-uiauto-win32
  • Standard for Windows desktop accessibility
  • Screen reader (JAWS, Narrator) integration

• macOS NSAccessibility — Apple Docs

  • Link: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit/nsaccessibility
  • Standard for macOS native app accessibility
  • Screen reader (VoiceOver) integration

• Linux ATK/AT-SPI — GNOME / Linux Accessibility

  • Link: https://developer.gnome.org/atspi/stable/
  • Assistive Technology Service Provider Interface
  • Screen reader (Orca) integration

WCAG 2.2 for Desktop

• WCAG 2.2 Understanding for Non-Web Content — W3C
  • Link: https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/
  • Applicability notes for desktop applications
  • Applies to wxPython, Qt, Electron-based apps

Plain Language & Cognitive Accessibility

WCAG 2.2 Cognitive Accessibility

• WCAG 2.2 Success Criteria 3.3.7, 3.3.8, 3.3.9 — W3C

  • Link: https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/
  • Redundant Entry, Accessible Authentication (Minimum & Enhanced)
  • Published: October 5, 2023

• Cognitive Accessibility Guidance (COGA) — W3C

  • Link: https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-usable/
  • Non-normative guidance on designing for cognitive disabilities
  • Includes personas, barriers, techniques

Reading Level & Plain Language

• Plain Language in Government — U.S. government plainlanguage.gov

  • Link: https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/
  • Evidence-based guidance for clear writing
  • Applies to WCAG 2.2 SC 3.1.5 / COGA

• Flesch-Kincaid Readability — Wikipedia

  • Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesch%E2%80%93Kincaid_readability_tests
  • Industry-standard reading level metric
  • Grade level estimates for text

Mobile Accessibility (React Native, iOS, Android)

React Native

• React Native Accessibility — Meta Docs
  • Link: https://reactnative.dev/docs/accessibility
  • accessibilityLabel, accessibilityRole, accessibilityHint
  • Supported on iOS (VoiceOver) and Android (TalkBack)

iOS Native (SwiftUI, UIKit)

• Apple Accessibility for Developers — Apple Docs
  • Link: https://developer.apple.com/accessibility/
  • SwiftUI modifier: .accessibilityLabel(), .accessibilityRole()
  • VoiceOver testing guidance

Android Native (Jetpack Compose, Views)

• Android Accessibility — Google Docs
  • Link: https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/accessibility
  • android:contentDescription, android:accessibilityLiveRegion
  • TalkBack screen reader integration

Testing & Validation Tools

Automated Testing

• Playwright Testing Library — Microsoft

  • Link: https://playwright.dev/
  • Recommend for accessibility test automation

• axe-core API — Deque Systems

  • Link: https://github.com/dequelabs/axe-core
  • Programmatic accessibility testing

• pa11y CLI — pa11y project

  • Link: https://pa11y.org/
  • Command-line accessibility testing with axe-core

Screen Reader Testing

• NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) — NV Access

  • Link: https://www.nvaccess.org/
  • Free, open-source Windows screen reader
  • For testing desktop and web apps

• JAWS (Job Access With Speech) — Freedom Scientific

  • Link: https://www.freedomscientific.com/products/software/jaws/
  • Commercial Windows screen reader
  • Industry standard for professional testing

• VoiceOver — Apple

  • Link: https://www.apple.com/accessibility/voiceover/
  • Built into macOS, iOS, iPadOS
  • For testing on Apple platforms

• Orca — GNOME / Linux Accessibility

  • Link: https://help.gnome.org/users/orca/
  • Free screen reader for Linux
  • For testing on Linux platforms

Source Validation

How Sources Are Maintained

All agent recommendations cite sources using one of these formats:

In-line citation:

See WCAG 2.4.4 (Link Purpose in Context) at 
https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/link-purpose-in-context.html

Structured source block:

## Recommended By
- **WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.4** 
  https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/link-purpose-in-context.html
- **Deque axe Rule ID**: link-name
  https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/link-name

Link Rot Detection

The verify-sources.yml GitHub Actions workflow automatically:

1. Extracts all https://... links from agent files
2. Tests HTTP response codes (200 = valid, 404 = broken, 403 = redirected)
3. Reports broken links in CI workflow
4. Creates issues for link maintenance

Run manually:

scripts/verify-sources.sh  # Bash/Linux
scripts/verify-sources.ps1 # PowerShell/Windows

Migration Guide: Citing Sources

When updating agents or adding new rules:

1. Identify the source — WCAG criterion, rule ID, or platform standard
2. Find the official URL — W3C, Deque, Microsoft, Apple, Google
3. Add citation — Use inline or structured format above
4. Test the link — Only external https:// links that return 200 OK

Example: Adding ARIA guidance

Rule: Custom widget lacks proper ARIA role
Source: WAI-ARIA 1.2, "Design Patterns and Widgets"
Link: https://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-1.2/#design_patterns
Citation: See WAI-ARIA 1.2 design patterns at https://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-1.2/#design_patterns

---

See also:

• Context Management Guide - Managing long audit conversations
• Custom Skills Guide - Extending agents with custom rules