Aria Patterns

Organization

weAAAre

aria-patterns

Expert knowledge base for building accessible UI components with awareness of real-world assistive technology (AT) support gaps. Goes beyond the WAI-ARIA spec to provide actual AT compatibility data from a11ysupport.io, known screen reader quirks, proven workarounds, and the critical gotchas that emerge when ARIA meets real users on real devices. Use this skill whenever the user is building, reviewing, fixing, or testing an interactive UI component for accessibility — especially when they need to know what actually works across screen readers, not just what the spec says should work. Trigger on mentions of "ARIA", "a11y", "accessibility", "screen reader", "keyboard navigation", "WAI-ARIA", "APG patterns", "AT support", "assistive technology", "aria-modal", "tooltip role", "combobox", "menu pattern", "switch role", or any question about whether an ARIA feature actually works in practice. Also trigger when the user mentions specific screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, TalkBack, Narrator) or asks about cross-browser/cross-AT compatibility for accessible components.

Overview

Publisher	weAAAre
Repository	`a11y-agents-kit`
Skill name	`aria-patterns`
Stars	35
Forks	6
Bundled files	12
License	MIT
Links	Skill source Repository

Markdown instructions
A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.
Works with any LLM
AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.
12 bundled files
Scripts, templates, and references the model can read while it works. Files are read-only and never executed.
Open source
Published by weAAAre on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Aria Patterns AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
Choose "Install from GitHub".
Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
https://github.com/weAAAre/a11y-agents-kit/tree/main/skills/aria-patterns
Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.

Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/weAAAre/a11y-agents-kit.git /tmp/a11y-agents-kit
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/a11y-agents-kit/skills/aria-patterns .claude/skills/aria-patterns

Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Aria Patterns in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Aria Patterns on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Aria Patterns is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

Loaded only when it is needed
The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.
Switch models mid-chat
Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

ARIA Accessible Component Patterns

This skill provides deep, practical knowledge about accessible UI component patterns based on the WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices Guide (APG).

Why this skill exists

LLMs already know the ARIA spec reasonably well. What they often get wrong is the gap between spec and reality:

role="tooltip" has 3/33 MUST support on a11ysupport.io — it's essentially dead
aria-modal="true" is not supported by TalkBack, Narrator, or Orca — your modal isn't actually modal
aria-autocomplete has 11/55 MUST support — screen readers mostly ignore it
aria-errormessage has ~20% MUST support — designed for form errors but AT ignores it; use aria-describedby instead
aria-relevant is completely broken for ANY non-default value — "additions" alone has 0/11 full support (NVDA ZERO on all browsers — stops announcing entirely); "text" alone also 0/11 (Narrator, VoiceOver iOS/macOS = none); "removals" 2/11 (VoiceOver only); the default "additions text" is the ONLY value that works (11/11)
aria-controls navigation works only in JAWS — other screen readers don't expose it
role="menu" is for application commands, not site navigation — this is the #1 ARIA misuse
aria-busy="true" is supposed to suppress live region updates but only JAWS supports it — every other screen reader ignores it
aria-live="assertive" does NOT interrupt in JAWS — the most-used desktop screen reader queues it instead
aria-details has 7/11 MUST support — VoiceOver (macOS + iOS), Narrator, and TalkBack completely ignore it; use aria-describedby as primary link to descriptions
aria-activedescendant is completely unsupported for combobox on VoiceOver macOS/Safari — it works for menus but combobox options are invisible; use DOM focus (roving tabindex) instead
aria-current has ZERO support on Narrator and Orca — the attribute recommended for breadcrumbs, step indicators, and nav is invisible to Windows built-in and Linux screen readers; dynamic state changes only announced by NVDA and VoiceOver iOS
aria-pressed="mixed" has near-zero support — only JAWS (Chrome/Firefox) and VoiceOver macOS convey the tri-state; NVDA, Narrator, Orca, TalkBack, VoiceOver iOS all ignore it
aria-sort dynamic changes are announced by only NVDA+Firefox (1/11 combos) — when a user clicks a column header to change sort direction, JAWS, Narrator, VoiceOver (all platforms), Orca, and TalkBack are all silent; Orca and TalkBack can't even read static ascending/descending values
aria-colcount="-1" (unknown column count) is broken in ALL screen readers (0/11) — every AT ignores the spec's MUST NOT and announces its own calculated count, misleading users; VoiceOver (macOS + iOS) and TalkBack don't support aria-colcount at all
aria-flowto has 10/44 MUST support (23%) — only JAWS supports alternate reading order navigation; NVDA, VoiceOver, TalkBack, Narrator, and Orca completely ignore it, making it useless for defining multi-column or complex layout reading paths
aria-level above 6 has ZERO support in JAWS (all browsers) and TalkBack — only 4/11 combos fully support heading levels >6; JAWS announces "heading" with no level number; restructure headings to stay within 1–6 or encode depth context in the accessible name

This skill provides the AT support reality data that prevents developers from shipping components that work in theory but fail for real screen reader users.

How to use this skill

Read the reference file for the pattern the user needs
Always check references/at-support-gotchas.md for cross-cutting AT support issues — this file contains the most critical knowledge that other sources miss
Check references/live-regions.md whenever the user's component involves dynamic content updates, notifications, or status messages — live region behavior is deeply unintuitive
Check references/form-validation.md whenever the user is implementing form validation, error handling, or required field patterns — aria-errormessage is deceptively broken
Adapt to the user's context (framework, building vs auditing, testing)

When the user asks about a pattern, prioritize AT support reality over idealized spec behavior. If a feature has known support gaps, say so explicitly and provide workarounds.

Available patterns

Pattern	Reference file	Key AT insight
Accordion	`references/accordion.md`	Well-supported; heading structure is the critical factor
Checkbox	`references/checkbox.md`	Native recommended; tri-state has nuanced AT behavior
Combobox	`references/combobox.md`	`aria-autocomplete` is nearly unsupported — use live regions
Dialog (Modal)	`references/dialog.md`	`aria-modal` fails in 3+ screen readers — use `inert` or native `<dialog>`
Menu and Menubar	`references/menu.md`	NOT for site navigation — only for app-style commands
Switch	`references/switch.md`	Falls back to "checkbox" in many screen readers
Tabs	`references/tabs.md`	Automatic activation recommended; Tab key goes to panel, NOT next tab
Tooltip	`references/tooltip.md`	`role="tooltip"` is essentially dead — rely on `aria-describedby`/`aria-labelledby`

Cross-cutting reference

Reference	File	Content
AT Support Gotchas	`references/at-support-gotchas.md`	Critical ARIA features with broken AT support, workarounds, and testing recommendations
Live Regions	`references/live-regions.md`	aria-busy broken everywhere except JAWS, assertive doesn't interrupt in JAWS, DOM-first rule, debouncing
Form Validation	`references/form-validation.md`	aria-errormessage barely works — use aria-describedby; group/radiogroup mobile gaps; DOM-first rule for alerts

Reference file structure

Each reference file follows the same structure:

Identity — what makes a component this pattern (and what doesn't), with a comparison table against similar patterns
Variants — behavioral differences between sub-types
Anatomy & markup — required HTML structure and ARIA attributes, with code for both native and custom implementations
Keyboard interaction — every key the component must respond to, organized as required vs. optional
State management — how ARIA states change in response to user interaction, with state transition rules
Screen reader expectations — what semantic information must be conveyed, acknowledging differences across screen readers
Implementation guide — practical guidance for building the component correctly, with native-first approach
Common mistakes — frequent accessibility failures and how to fix them
Acceptance criteria — concise, verifiable checklist for auditing, organized by severity

General principles

Prefer native HTML (First Rule of ARIA)

Use native HTML elements whenever they provide the needed semantics. A <button> is always preferable to a <div role="button">. Only reach for ARIA when no native element can achieve the result.

Spec vs reality

The ARIA spec defines what SHOULD happen. Real AT support determines what DOES happen. When this skill flags a support gap, take it seriously — millions of users depend on screen readers that may not implement the spec correctly. Always provide fallbacks for features with known gaps.

Screen reader announcements are semantic, not verbatim

When this skill describes what a screen reader should announce, it refers to the semantic information that must be conveyed — not the exact words. NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, and TalkBack each phrase things differently, but the underlying meaning must be present.

Severity levels

Critical — Failure makes the component unusable for AT users. Must be resolved.
Major — Failure significantly degrades the experience. Should be resolved.
Minor — Usability inconvenience. Resolve when possible.

Bundled files

The model reads these on demand while the skill is loaded. They are exposed as readable files and are never executed.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Aria Patterns AI skill do?

Why use Aria Patterns on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Aria Patterns is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Aria Patterns in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/weAAAre/a11y-agents-kit/tree/main/skills/aria-patterns. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and bundles its files and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Aria Patterns?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Aria Patterns?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Aria Patterns with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Aria Patterns AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by weAAAre under the MIT license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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Overview

Installation

Install in TypingMind

Install in another agent

Use it in TypingMind

Works with any AI model

Skill instructions

ARIA Accessible Component Patterns

Why this skill exists

How to use this skill

Available patterns

Cross-cutting reference

Reference file structure

General principles

Prefer native HTML (First Rule of ARIA)

Spec vs reality

Screen reader announcements are semantic, not verbatim

Severity levels

Bundled files

Frequently asked questions

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