compliance-matrix-template

name	compliance-matrix-template
description	Canonical output format for ADA Title II compliance audits. Defines the compliance matrix (file x WCAG rule x status), severity taxonomy, and emission formats. Use when generating audit reports.

Contents: [Severity Taxonomy L8-L13] · [Matrix Columns L15-L27] · [Verification-Path Vocabulary L29-L38] · [Emission Formats L40-L82] · [CAV Tracking L84-L95]

Severity Taxonomy

• Critical — violation that blocks access entirely for a disabled user (e.g., image with no alt, prerecorded video with no captions).
• Major — significant barrier that degrades the experience but does not fully block access (e.g., low contrast, non-descriptive link text).
• Minor — deviation from WCAG with low accessibility impact (e.g., redundant alt text, inconsistent nav label).
• Needs human verification — cannot be confirmed from source alone; requires rendered-page inspection, assistive-tech testing, caption review, or human judgment.

Matrix Columns

Column	Type	Description
file	string	Relative path to the reviewed file.
line	int|null	Line number of the finding; null if not line-determinable.
wcag_rule	string	WCAG criterion, e.g. 1.1.1 or 2.4.4.
description	string	One-sentence description of the violation or item requiring verification.
severity	enum	One of: Critical, Major, Minor, Needs human verification.
exception_applies	bool	Whether a Title II exception applies to this item.
exception_type	string|null	One of: archived, preexisting-doc, social-media, password-protected, third-party — or null.
verification_path	enum	How the finding must be verified. See Verification-Path Vocabulary.
fix_reference	string|null	Skill name, URL, or file path pointing to a suggested fix.

Verification-Path Vocabulary

Value	When to use
rendered-page	Must be checked in a browser — contrast ratios, focus order, visible focus indicator.
assistive-tech	Must be tested with a screen reader (NVDA, VoiceOver) or other assistive technology.
automated-tool	Can be caught by axe, Lighthouse, DubBot, or WAVE.
document-tool	Requires Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker, PAC, or the Google Docs / Word accessibility checker.
human-caption-review	A human must watch the video and verify captions are accurate and human-checked, not auto-generated; required for all prerecorded video [WCAG 1.2.2].
human-review	Requires human judgment to determine compliance (e.g., whether a document is "currently in use" for the preexisting-documents exception).

Emission Formats

Markdown Report

# ADA/WCAG Compliance Report — <scope>

**Date:** <ISO date>
**Reviewer:** compliance-lead
**Source:** wcag-title-ii-notes skill

## Critical

| File | Line | Rule | Description | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| path/to/file | 42 | 1.1.1 | `<img>` missing alt | Add descriptive alt attribute |

## Major
...

## Minor
...

## Needs Human Verification
...

## Exception Summary
<items where a Title II exception may apply — note that accessible versions must still be provided on request>

## Compliance Matrix
<paste CSV block here or attach as separate file>

CSV Schema

Header row:

file,line,wcag_rule,description,severity,exception_applies,exception_type,verification_path,fix_reference

• Null fields: emit as empty string (not null or N/A).
• description: quote with double quotes if it contains commas.
• One row per finding; multiple rules for the same finding get separate rows.

CAV Tracking

When a conforming alternate version (CAV) exists for a finding, append these columns to the matrix row:

Column	Type	Description
cav_exists	bool	Whether a conforming alternate version exists.
cav_url	string|null	URL or path to the CAV; null if none.
cav_label	string|null	Text used to link to the CAV from the non-conforming page.

CAVs must meet strict labeling and access requirements — see the wcag-title-ii-notes skill, A/V Requirements § Conforming Alternate Versions.