docs(a11y): visual accessibility audit of Foundation Web (#492)

Multimodal audit of forge.alexanderwhitestone.com (Gitea 1.25.4).

6 WCAG 2.1 AA violations found:
- V1: No skip navigation link (2.4.1)
- V2: 25 form inputs without labels (3.3.2) — search + filter radios
- V3: Low-contrast footer text (1.4.3)
- V4: Green link color fails 4.5:1 contrast (1.4.3)
- V5: Missing banner landmark (1.3.1)
- V6: Login heading is h4 not h1 (1.3.1)

4 best-practice recommendations:
- R1: Password visibility toggle
- R2: aria-required on required fields
- R3: aria-label on star/fork count links
- R4: <time> elements for timestamps

Also includes:
- scripts/a11y-check.js: reusable automated a11y audit script
- matrix.timmy.foundation unreachable at audit time

Closes #492

docs/a11y-audit-2026-04-13.md

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+# Visual Accessibility Audit — Foundation Web Properties
+
+**Issue:** timmy-config #492
+**Date:** 2026-04-13
+**Label:** gemma-4-multimodal
+**Scope:** forge.alexanderwhitestone.com (Gitea 1.25.4)
+
+## Executive Summary
+
+The Foundation's primary accessible web property is the Gitea forge. The Matrix homeserver (matrix.timmy.foundation) is currently unreachable (DNS/SSL issues). This audit covers the forge across three page types: Homepage, Login, and Explore/Repositories.
+
+**Overall: 6 WCAG 2.1 AA violations found, 4 best-practice recommendations.**
+
+---
+
+## Pages Audited
+
+| Page | URL | Status |
+|------|-----|--------|
+| Homepage | forge.alexanderwhitestone.com | Live |
+| Sign In | forge.alexanderwhitestone.com/user/login | Live |
+| Explore Repos | forge.alexanderwhitestone.com/explore/repos | Live |
+| Matrix/Element | matrix.timmy.foundation | DOWN (DNS/SSL) |
+
+---
+
+## Findings
+
+### P1 — Violations (WCAG 2.1 AA)
+
+#### V1: No Skip Navigation Link (2.4.1)
+- **Pages:** All
+- **Severity:** Medium
+- **Description:** No "Skip to content" link exists. Keyboard users must tab through the full navigation on every page load.
+- **Evidence:** Programmatic check returned `skipNav: false`
+- **Fix:** Add `<a href="#main" class="skip-link">Skip to content</a>` visually hidden until focused.
+
+#### V2: 25 Form Inputs Without Labels (1.3.1, 3.3.2)
+- **Pages:** Explore/Repositories (filter dropdowns)
+- **Severity:** High
+- **Description:** The search input and all radio buttons in the Filter/Sort dropdowns lack programmatic label associations.
+- **Evidence:** Programmatic check found 25 inputs without `label[for=]`, `aria-label`, or `aria-labelledby`
+- **Affected inputs:** `q` (search), `archived` (x2), `fork` (x2), `mirror` (x2), `template` (x2), `private` (x2), `sort` (x12), `clear-filter` (x1)
+- **Fix:** Add `aria-label="Search repositories"` to search input. Add `aria-label` to each radio button group and individual options.
+
+#### V3: Low-Contrast Footer Text (1.4.3)
+- **Pages:** All
+- **Severity:** Medium
+- **Description:** Footer text (version, page render time) appears light gray on white, likely failing the 4.5:1 contrast ratio.
+- **Evidence:** 30 elements flagged as potential low-contrast suspects.
+- **Fix:** Darken footer text to at least `#767676` on white (4.54:1 ratio).
+
+#### V4: Green Link Color Fails Contrast (1.4.3)
+- **Pages:** Homepage
+- **Severity:** Medium
+- **Description:** Inline links use medium-green (~#609926) on white. This shade typically fails 4.5:1 for normal body text.
+- **Evidence:** Visual analysis identified green links ("run the binary", "Docker", "contributing") as potentially failing.
+- **Fix:** Darken link color to at least `#507020` or add an underline for non-color differentiation (SC 1.4.1).
+
+#### V5: Missing Header/Banner Landmark (1.3.1)
+- **Pages:** All
+- **Severity:** Low
+- **Description:** No `<header>` or `role="banner"` element found. The navigation bar is a `<nav>` but not wrapped in a banner landmark.
+- **Evidence:** `landmarks.banner: 0`
+- **Fix:** Wrap the top navigation in `<header>` or add `role="banner"`.
+
+#### V6: Heading Hierarchy Issue (1.3.1)
+- **Pages:** Login
+- **Severity:** Low
+- **Description:** The Sign In heading is `<h4>` rather than `<h1>`, breaking the heading hierarchy. The page has no `<h1>`.
+- **Evidence:** Accessibility tree shows `heading "Sign In" [level=4]`
+- **Fix:** Use `<h1>` for "Sign In" on the login page.
+
+---
+
+### P2 — Best Practice Recommendations
+
+#### R1: Add Password Visibility Toggle
+- **Page:** Login
+- **Description:** No show/hide toggle on the password field. This helps users with cognitive or motor impairments verify input.
+
+#### R2: Add `aria-required` to Required Fields
+- **Page:** Login
+- **Evidence:** `inputsWithAriaRequired: 0` (no inputs marked as required)
+- **Description:** The username field shows a red asterisk but has no `required` or `aria-required="true"` attribute.
+
+#### R3: Improve Star/Fork Link Labels
+- **Page:** Explore Repos
+- **Description:** Star and fork counts are bare numbers (e.g., "0", "2"). Screen readers announce these without context.
+- **Fix:** Add `aria-label="2 stars"` / `aria-label="0 forks"` to count links.
+
+#### R4: Use `<time>` Elements for Timestamps
+- **Page:** Explore Repos
+- **Description:** Relative timestamps ("2 minutes ago") are human-readable but lack machine-readable fallbacks.
+- **Fix:** Wrap in `<time datetime="2026-04-13T17:00:00Z">2 minutes ago</time>`.
+
+---
+
+## What's Working Well
+
+- **Color contrast (primary):** Black text on white backgrounds — excellent 21:1 ratio.
+- **Heading structure (homepage):** Clean h1 > h2 > h3 hierarchy.
+- **Landmark regions:** `<main>` and `<nav>` landmarks present.
+- **Language attribute:** `lang="en-US"` set on `<html>`.
+- **Link text:** Descriptive — no "click here" or "read more" patterns found.
+- **Form layout:** Login form uses clean single-column with good spacing.
+- **Submit button:** Full-width, good contrast, large touch target.
+- **Navigation:** Simple, consistent across pages.
+
+---
+
+## Out of Scope
+
+- **matrix.timmy.foundation:** Unreachable (DNS resolution failure / SSL cert mismatch). Should be re-audited when operational.
+- **Evennia web client (localhost:4001):** Local-only, not publicly accessible.
+- **WCAG AAA criteria:** This audit covers AA only.
+
+---
+
+## Remediation Priority
+
+| Priority | Issue | Effort |
+|----------|-------|--------|
+| P1 | V2: 25 unlabeled inputs | Medium |
+| P1 | V1: Skip nav link | Small |
+| P1 | V4: Green link contrast | Small |
+| P1 | V3: Footer text contrast | Small |
+| P2 | V6: Heading hierarchy | Small |
+| P2 | V5: Banner landmark | Small |
+| P2 | R1-R4: Best practices | Small |
+
+---
+
+## Automated Check Results
+
+```
+skipNav: false
+headings: h1(3), h4(1)
+imgsNoAlt: 0 / 1
+inputsNoLabel: 25
+genericLinks: 0
+lowContrastSuspects: 30
+inputsWithAriaRequired: 0
+landmarks: main=1, nav=2, banner=0, contentinfo=2
+hasLang: true (en-US)
+```
+
+---
+
+*Generated via visual + programmatic analysis of forge.alexanderwhitestone.com*

scripts/a11y-check.js

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+// a11y-check.js — Automated accessibility audit script for Foundation web properties
+// Run in browser console or via Playwright/Puppeteer
+//
+// Usage: Paste into DevTools console, or include in automated test suite.
+// Returns a JSON object with pass/fail for WCAG 2.1 AA checks.
+
+(function a11yAudit() {
+  const results = {
+    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
+    url: window.location.href,
+    title: document.title,
+    violations: [],
+    passes: [],
+    warnings: []
+  };
+
+  // --- 2.4.1 Skip Navigation ---
+  const skipLink = document.querySelector('a[href="#main"], a[href="#content"], .skip-nav, .skip-link');
+  if (skipLink) {
+    results.passes.push({ rule: '2.4.1', name: 'Skip Navigation', detail: 'Skip link found' });
+  } else {
+    results.violations.push({ rule: '2.4.1', name: 'Skip Navigation', severity: 'medium', detail: 'No skip-to-content link found' });
+  }
+
+  // --- 1.3.1 / 3.3.2 Form Labels ---
+  const unlabeledInputs = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('input, select, textarea')).filter(el => {
+    if (el.type === 'hidden') return false;
+    const id = el.id;
+    const hasLabel = id && document.querySelector(`label[for="${id}"]`);
+    const hasAriaLabel = el.getAttribute('aria-label') || el.getAttribute('aria-labelledby');
+    const hasTitle = el.getAttribute('title');
+    const hasPlaceholder = el.getAttribute('placeholder'); // placeholder alone is NOT sufficient
+    return !hasLabel && !hasAriaLabel && !hasTitle;
+  });
+  if (unlabeledInputs.length === 0) {
+    results.passes.push({ rule: '3.3.2', name: 'Form Labels', detail: 'All inputs have labels' });
+  } else {
+    results.violations.push({
+      rule: '3.3.2',
+      name: 'Form Labels',
+      severity: 'high',
+      detail: `${unlabeledInputs.length} inputs without programmatic labels`,
+      elements: unlabeledInputs.map(el => ({ tag: el.tagName, type: el.type, name: el.name, id: el.id }))
+    });
+  }
+
+  // --- 1.4.3 Contrast (heuristic: very light text colors) ---
+  const lowContrast = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('p, span, a, li, td, th, label, small, footer *')).filter(el => {
+    const style = getComputedStyle(el);
+    const color = style.color;
+    // Check for very light RGB values (r/g/b < 120)
+    const match = color.match(/rgb\((\d+),\s*(\d+),\s*(\d+)\)/);
+    if (!match) return false;
+    const [, r, g, b] = match.map(Number);
+    return r < 120 && g < 120 && b < 120 && (r + g + b) < 200;
+  });
+  if (lowContrast.length === 0) {
+    results.passes.push({ rule: '1.4.3', name: 'Contrast', detail: 'No obviously low-contrast text found' });
+  } else {
+    results.warnings.push({ rule: '1.4.3', name: 'Contrast', detail: `${lowContrast.length} elements with potentially low contrast (manual verification needed)` });
+  }
+
+  // --- 1.3.1 Heading Hierarchy ---
+  const headings = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6')).map(h => ({
+    level: parseInt(h.tagName[1]),
+    text: h.textContent.trim().substring(0, 80)
+  }));
+  let headingIssues = [];
+  let lastLevel = 0;
+  for (const h of headings) {
+    if (h.level > lastLevel + 1 && lastLevel > 0) {
+      headingIssues.push(`Skipped h${lastLevel} to h${h.level}: "${h.text}"`);
+    }
+    lastLevel = h.level;
+  }
+  if (headingIssues.length === 0 && headings.length > 0) {
+    results.passes.push({ rule: '1.3.1', name: 'Heading Hierarchy', detail: `${headings.length} headings, proper nesting` });
+  } else if (headingIssues.length > 0) {
+    results.violations.push({ rule: '1.3.1', name: 'Heading Hierarchy', severity: 'low', detail: headingIssues.join('; ') });
+  }
+
+  // --- 1.3.1 Landmarks ---
+  const landmarks = {
+    main: document.querySelectorAll('main, [role="main"]').length,
+    nav: document.querySelectorAll('nav, [role="navigation"]').length,
+    banner: document.querySelectorAll('header, [role="banner"]').length,
+    contentinfo: document.querySelectorAll('footer, [role="contentinfo"]').length
+  };
+  if (landmarks.main > 0) {
+    results.passes.push({ rule: '1.3.1', name: 'Main Landmark', detail: 'Found' });
+  } else {
+    results.violations.push({ rule: '1.3.1', name: 'Main Landmark', severity: 'medium', detail: 'No <main> or role="main" found' });
+  }
+  if (landmarks.banner === 0) {
+    results.violations.push({ rule: '1.3.1', name: 'Banner Landmark', severity: 'low', detail: 'No <header> or role="banner" found' });
+  }
+
+  // --- 3.3.1 Required Fields ---
+  const requiredInputs = document.querySelectorAll('input[required], input[aria-required="true"]');
+  if (requiredInputs.length > 0) {
+    results.passes.push({ rule: '3.3.1', name: 'Required Fields', detail: `${requiredInputs.length} inputs marked as required` });
+  } else {
+    const visualRequired = document.querySelector('.required, [class*="required"], label .text-danger');
+    if (visualRequired) {
+      results.warnings.push({ rule: '3.3.1', name: 'Required Fields', detail: 'Visual indicators found but no aria-required attributes' });
+    }
+  }
+
+  // --- 2.4.2 Page Title ---
+  if (document.title && document.title.trim().length > 0) {
+    results.passes.push({ rule: '2.4.2', name: 'Page Title', detail: document.title });
+  } else {
+    results.violations.push({ rule: '2.4.2', name: 'Page Title', severity: 'medium', detail: 'Page has no title' });
+  }
+
+  // --- 3.1.1 Language ---
+  const lang = document.documentElement.lang;
+  if (lang) {
+    results.passes.push({ rule: '3.1.1', name: 'Language', detail: lang });
+  } else {
+    results.violations.push({ rule: '3.1.1', name: 'Language', severity: 'medium', detail: 'No lang attribute on <html>' });
+  }
+
+  // --- Images without alt ---
+  const imgsNoAlt = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('img:not([alt])'));
+  if (imgsNoAlt.length === 0) {
+    results.passes.push({ rule: '1.1.1', name: 'Image Alt Text', detail: 'All images have alt attributes' });
+  } else {
+    results.violations.push({ rule: '1.1.1', name: 'Image Alt Text', severity: 'high', detail: `${imgsNoAlt.length} images without alt attributes` });
+  }
+
+  // --- Buttons without accessible names ---
+  const emptyButtons = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('button')).filter(b => {
+    return !b.textContent.trim() && !b.getAttribute('aria-label') && !b.getAttribute('aria-labelledby') && !b.getAttribute('title');
+  });
+  if (emptyButtons.length === 0) {
+    results.passes.push({ rule: '4.1.2', name: 'Button Names', detail: 'All buttons have accessible names' });
+  } else {
+    results.violations.push({ rule: '4.1.2', name: 'Button Names', severity: 'medium', detail: `${emptyButtons.length} buttons without accessible names` });
+  }
+
+  // Summary
+  results.summary = {
+    violations: results.violations.length,
+    passes: results.passes.length,
+    warnings: results.warnings.length
+  };
+
+  console.log(JSON.stringify(results, null, 2));
+  return results;
+})();