Governance and Compliance

Governance and Compliance

Accessibility is not just a technical optimization; it is a fundamental human right, and increasingly, a strict legal requirement globally.

A11Y.md is designed to generate code that is intrinsically compliant, preparing your project for formal accessibility audits.

The Legal Landscape

By adopting the A11Y.md architecture, you are actively mitigating legal risks associated with major international regulations:

1. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - Title III (USA): Courts consistently rule that digital platforms are "places of public accommodation." Non-compliant websites are subject to lawsuits.
2. European Accessibility Act (EAA): Taking full effect in 2025, the EAA mandates strict accessibility for e-commerce, banking, software, and hardware across the EU. Non-compliance can result in products being banned from the European market.
3. Section 508 / EN 301 549: Required for any company selling software to government agencies in the US and Europe, respectively.

Audit Readiness (VPAT)

When your company needs to sell B2B software, buyers will often ask for a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) or an ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report).

A11Y.md prepares you for this by enforcing documentation:

• The A11Y.md file acts as your organization's official accessibility policy.
• The EXCEPTIONS.md file (especially when using the Launchpad profile) acts as your known issues log, demonstrating transparency and a roadmap for remediation — which is exactly what auditors look for in a VPAT.

The Verification Workflow (Definition of Done)

Generating accessible code with AI is only half the battle. A11Y.md enforces a 5-step Verification Workflow that humans must execute before shipping a feature.

This workflow is ordered from least effort (automated) to highest effort (perceptual):

1. ✅ Technical Check (Automated): Does the code pass your integrated linter (e.g., eslint-plugin-jsx-a11y) and engine scans (e.g., Deque Axe Core)?
2. ✅ Tab Order (Manual): Can you navigate the entire new feature using only the Tab, Space, Enter, and Arrow keys? Are there any keyboard traps?
3. ✅ User Flow (Manual): Do dynamic interactions (like a success toast appearing after submitting a form) get announced by the screen reader via aria-live?
4. ✅ Zoom & Reflow (Manual): Does text resize up to 200% without loss of content or function (SC 1.4.4)? Does content reflow at 320 CSS px width — equivalent to 400% zoom on a 1280px viewport — without two-dimensional scrolling (SC 1.4.10)?
5. ✅ Color & Perception (Simulated): If you view the site in grayscale (using a colorblindness simulator), is any functional information lost?

If a feature fails any of these 5 checks, it is technically broken.