Accessibility & WCAG Compliance

STOA Platform targets WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance for all user-facing interfaces (Console and Portal). This page documents our accessibility stance, tooling, and alignment with European regulations.

Standards

Standard	Scope	Status
WCAG 2.1 AA	Web Content Accessibility Guidelines	Target conformance
EN 301 549	European ICT Accessibility Requirements	Aligned (covers WCAG 2.1 AA)
European Accessibility Act	EU Directive 2019/882	Applicable from June 2025

Why EN 301 549?

EN 301 549 is the European harmonized standard for ICT accessibility. It incorporates WCAG 2.1 AA and adds requirements specific to software, documentation, and support services. Compliance is required for:

• EU public sector procurement — agencies must procure accessible ICT
• Financial services — banking regulators increasingly require accessible customer-facing tools
• Enterprise RFPs — accessibility compliance is a standard evaluation criterion

STOA's accessibility posture supports these enterprise sales requirements.

Implementation

Automated Testing (axe-core)

STOA uses axe-core via @axe-core/playwright for automated accessibility scanning in E2E tests.

What axe-core detects:

• Missing alt text on images
• Insufficient color contrast (AA ratio: 4.5:1 normal text, 3:1 large text)
• Missing form labels
• Invalid ARIA attributes
• Heading hierarchy violations
• Keyboard navigation issues

What axe-core does NOT detect (requires manual review):

• Logical reading order
• Meaningful alt text quality
• Complex interaction patterns (drag-and-drop, custom widgets)
• Content comprehension at target reading level

Semantic HTML & ARIA

All STOA UI pages follow these conventions:

1. Heading hierarchy — h1 > h2 > h3, no level skips
2. ARIA landmarks — role="region", role="navigation", role="tablist" on interactive containers
3. ARIA labels — aria-label on tables, lists, metric cards, and tab groups
4. data-testid convention — standardized identifiers for E2E and visual regression testing (see ADR-060)

Keyboard Navigation

• All interactive elements are focusable via Tab
• Modal dialogs trap focus
• Escape closes modals and slide-over panels
• Enter/Space activates buttons and links

Metrics & Tracking

Accessibility violation count is tracked over time using a ratchet approach:

• Current baseline established via axe-core scan
• New violations block CI merge (Phase 2)
• Existing violations tracked for progressive resolution

Metrics script: scripts/ai-ops/ui-validation-metrics.sh in the stoa monorepo.

Conformance Statement

STOA Platform supports compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. We are progressively remediating identified violations and tracking conformance metrics. This statement does not constitute a legal guarantee of full conformance — consult your accessibility specialist for formal audit.

Disclaimer

This page describes STOA's accessibility approach and tooling. It is not a legal compliance certificate. Organizations should perform their own accessibility audits for regulatory submissions.