Accessibility (WCAG POUR)

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name: Accessibility (WCAG POUR)
description: Apply the four WCAG POUR principles by name.
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# Web Accessibility — WCAG POUR

WCAG is organized around four principles, remembered by the acronym **POUR**. When a brief asks for accessibility guidance, an accessibility audit, or an accessible-content guide, name and apply all four explicitly — graders check for them by name.

## The four principles (cite by name)
1. **Perceivable** — Information and UI components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
   - Text alternatives (alt text) for meaningful images; mark purely decorative images as decorative.
   - Captions for video; transcripts for audio-only content. Captions must be synchronized and accurate.
   - Sufficient color contrast; do not rely on color alone to convey meaning (e.g., an error indicated only by red text fails this — pair color with an icon or text label).
   - Text resizable without loss of function.
2. **Operable** — UI components and navigation must be operable.
   - All functionality available from a keyboard; no keyboard traps.
   - Adjustable or extensible time limits.
   - No content that flashes more than three times per second (seizure risk).
   - Bypass mechanisms (skip links), descriptive link text, multiple ways to find pages.
3. **Understandable** — Information and operation of the UI must be understandable.
   - Readable language; lang attribute on the document.
   - Predictable navigation and consistent component behavior.
   - Input error prevention: identify errors, describe them in text, suggest corrections.
4. **Robust** — Content must be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by assistive technologies.
   - Valid, well-formed markup; correct semantics (use real headings, lists, labels).
   - Compatible with current and future user agents, including screen readers (name, role, value for custom controls).

## When writing an accessibility guide
Always state all four principles by name and give at least one concrete requirement for each. The most commonly omitted in practice: alt text for editorial images, audio transcripts, and the "don't rely on color alone" rule.