Implement WCAG 2.2 accessibility patterns in Shopify Liquid themes. Covers e-commerce-specific components including product cards, carousels, cart drawers, price display, forms, filters, and modals. Use when building accessible theme components, fixing accessibility issues, or reviewing ARIA pattern

Accessibility for Shopify Liquid Themes Core Principle Every interactive component must work with keyboard only, screen readers, and reduced motion preferences. Start with semantic HTML — add ARIA only when native semantics are insufficient. Decision Table: Which Pattern? Component HTML Element ARIA Pattern Reference Expandable content <details /<summary None needed [Accordion]( accordion) Modal/dialog <dialog aria modal="true" [Modal]( modal) Tooltip/popup [popover] attribute role="tooltip" fallback [Tooltip]( tooltip) Dropdown menu <nav + <ul aria expanded on triggers [Navigation]( dropdown navigation) Tab interface <div role="tablist/tab/tabpanel" [Tabs]( tabs) Carousel/slider <div role="region" + aria roledescription [Carousel]( carousel) Product card <article aria labelledby [Product card]( product card) Form <form aria invalid , aria describedby [Forms]( forms) Cart drawer <dialog Focus trap [Cart drawer]( cart drawer) Price display <span aria label for context [Prices]( price display) Filters <form + <fieldset aria expanded for disclosures [Filters]( product filters) Page Structure Landmarks Single <header , <main , <footer per page Multiple <nav elements must have distinct aria label All content must live inside a landmark Skip Link Headings One <h1 per page, never skip levels (h1 → h3) Use real heading elements, not styled divs Template: <h1 is typically the page/product title Focus Management Focus Indicators Minimum 3:1 contrast ratio for focus indicators Use :focus visible (not :focus ) to avoid showing on click Never outline: none without a visible replacement Focus Trapping (Modals/Drawers) Trap focus inside modals, drawers, and dialogs Return focus to trigger element on close First focusable element gets focus on open Query all focusable elements: a[href], button:not([disabled]), input:not([disabled]), select, textarea, [tabindex]:not([tabindex=" 1"]) See [focus and keyboard patterns](references/focus and keyboard.md) for full FocusTrap implementation. Component Patterns Product Card Rules: Single tab stop per card (the main link) tabindex=" 1" on mouse only shortcuts (quick add) aria labelledby on <article pointing to the title Descriptive alt text on images; empty alt="" if decorative Carousel Rules: Auto rotation minimum 5 seconds, pause on hover/focus Play/pause button required for auto rotating carousels aria live="polite" on slide container (set to "off" during auto rotation) aria hidden="true" on inactive slides Each slide: role="group" + aria roledescription="slide" Modal Rules: Use native <dialog element aria labelledby pointing to the title Close on Escape key (native with <dialog ) Focus first interactive element on open Return focus to trigger on close Cart Drawer Same as modal pattern but with additional: Live region for cart count updates: <span aria live="polite" aria atomic="true" Clear "remove item" buttons with aria label="{{ 'cart.remove item' t: title: item.title }}" Quantity inputs with associated labels Forms Rules: Every input has a visible <label with matching for / id Use <fieldset /<legend for radio/checkbox groups Error messages: role="alert" + aria describedby linking to input aria invalid="true" on invalid inputs autocomplete attributes on common fields Required fields: required + aria required="true" + visual indicator Product Filters Price Display Use aria label to provide full price context (sale vs. original) aria hidden="true" on the visual strikethrough to avoid duplicate reading Accordion Native <details /<summary provides keyboard and screen reader support automatically. Tabs Arrow keys navigate between tabs (left/right) Only active tab has tabindex="0" , others 1 Dropdown Navigation Tooltip Mobile Accessibility Touch targets: minimum 44x44px, 8px spacing between targets No orientation lock: never restrict to portrait/landscape No hover only content: everything accessible via tap Use dvh instead of vh for mobile viewport units Animation & Motion No flashing above 3 times per second Auto playing animations need pause/stop controls Meaningful animations only — don't animate for decoration Visually Hidden Utility Use for screen reader only content like labels and descriptions. Color Contrast Element Minimum Ratio Normal text (<18px / <14px bold) 4.5:1 Large text (≥18px / ≥14px bold) 3:1 UI components & graphics 3:1 Focus indicators 3:1 Never rely solely on color to convey information — always pair with text, icons, or patterns. References [Component accessibility patterns](references/component patterns.md) [Focus and keyboard patterns](references/focus and keyboard.md)

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