/accessibility-generator

name: accessibility-generator
description: Generate accessibility infrastructure for VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, and accessibility features. Use when improving app accessibility, adding accessibility labels and hints, or auditing compliance.
allowed-tools: [Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep, Bash, AskUserQuestion]
last_verified: 2026-07-16
review_by: 2027-06-22

Accessibility Generator

Generate accessibility infrastructure for VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, and accessibility features.

When This Skill Activates

• User wants to improve app accessibility
• User mentions VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, or accessibility
• User needs to add accessibility labels and hints
• User wants to audit accessibility compliance

Pre-Generation Checks

# Check existing accessibility usage
grep -r "accessibilityLabel\|accessibilityHint\|AccessibilityFocused" --include="*.swift" | head -5

Key Features

Accessibility Labels

Image(systemName: "heart.fill")
    .accessibilityLabel("Favorite")
    .accessibilityHint("Double tap to remove from favorites")

Dynamic Type Support

Text("Title")
    .font(.title)  // Scales automatically
    .dynamicTypeSize(...DynamicTypeSize.accessibility3)  // Limit max size

Reduce Motion

@Environment(\.accessibilityReduceMotion) private var reduceMotion

withAnimation(reduceMotion ? nil : .spring()) {
    // Animation
}

VoiceOver Groups

VStack {
    Text("Item Name")
    Text("$9.99")
}
.accessibilityElement(children: .combine)

Visual Accessibility: Numbers and APIs (WWDC20)

| Setting | Threshold / API | What to do | |---------|-----------------|------------| | Contrast | **4.5:1 minimum** ("generally the lowest acceptable ratio"); ~**7.5:1** for comfort on dark backgrounds | Check text and glyphs against their actual backgrounds | | Differentiate Without Color | `UIAccessibility.shouldDifferentiateWithoutColor` | Add shapes/symbols wherever color is the only signal (red/green states) | | Button Shapes | `UIAccessibility.buttonShapesEnabled` + its change notification | Show borders/underlines on plain-text buttons when on | | Increase Contrast | System colors adapt for free; custom colors need a **"High Contrast" variant in the asset catalog** | Never ship a single hex for both modes | | Dynamic Type | `preferredContentSizeCategory` | **Never truncate** — set line count to 0 so text wraps; reflow layout at accessibility sizes | | Bold Text | `UIAccessibility.isBoldTextEnabled` | Free with system text styles; custom fonts must swap weights manually | | Reduce Motion | `isReduceMotionEnabled`, `prefersCrossFadeTransitions` | Gate animations, parallax, and video autoplay; prefer cross-fades over sliding transitions | | Smart Invert | `.accessibilityIgnoresInvertColors()` | Apply to photos, videos, and full-color icons so they don't invert | | Reduce Transparency | `UIAccessibility.isReduceTransparencyEnabled` | Render blur/vibrancy backgrounds as opaque |

SwiftUI mirrors most of these as environment values (`\.accessibilityReduceMotion` above, plus `\.accessibilityDifferentiateWithoutColor`, `\.legibilityWeight`, `\.accessibilityReduceTransparency`).

Deep Patterns (accessibility-patterns.md)

The full recipes live in [accessibility-patterns.md](accessibility-patterns.md):

• Label-writing rules — context ladder, no control types, succinctness, localize (WWDC19 254)
• Custom actions doctrine — clutter/speed rationale, hide replaced buttons, widget intents (WWDC19 250, WWDC24 10073)
• Custom rotors, UIKit and SwiftUI (WWDC20 10116, WWDC21 10119)
• Data-rich rows via the More Content rotor / `AXCustomContent` (WWDC21 10121)
• Announcements with priorities, `.isToggle`, zoom, direct touch, block-based setters (WWDC23 10036)
• Custom-control technique selection: adjustable vs passthrough vs custom actions vs direct touch (WWDC26 220)
• Switch Control grouping and timeout rules (WWDC20 10019); Full Keyboard Access (WWDC21 10120)
• Reading-app text navigation, page turns, `UITextInput` adoption (WWDC26 219)

Inclusive Design Principles (WWDC25)

• **About 1 in 7 people has a disability** — accessibility features are mainstream features.
• Provide information through **multiple senses**: captions for audio, audible/haptic paths for visual cues.
• Support **multiple input methods** — touch, keyboard, voice, switch — for every action.
• **Larger Text scales text up to ~3x** — layouts must reflow, not clip or overlap.
• Inclusion is **iterative, not one-time** — re-audit each release, not just before launch.

Generated Files

Sources/Accessibility/
├── AccessibilityModifiers.swift   # Custom view modifiers
├── AccessibilityHelpers.swift     # Label builders
└── AccessibilityStrings.swift     # Localized labels

Audit Checklist

• [ ] All interactive elements have labels
• [ ] Images have descriptions or are hidden decoratively
• [ ] Color is not the only indicator
• [ ] Touch targets are at least 44×44 points
• [ ] Dynamic Type is supported
• [ ] Reduce Motion is respected
• [ ] VoiceOver order is logical
• [ ] Custom controls expose purpose, value, actions, and feedback (WWDC26 220)
• [ ] Automated audit + Nutrition Label evaluation — see `ios/accessibility-audit`

References

• [Accessibility in SwiftUI](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swiftui/accessibility)
• [Human Interface Guidelines: Accessibility](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/accessibility)