Jira Cloud accessibility: choosing WCAG 2.2 focus‑visible vs WCAG 2.1 AA for issue‑creation modal

Jira Cloud’s issue‑creation modal uses ARIA‑labelled buttons, but keyboard navigation sometimes skips the description field and the modal trap does not return focus to the Create button after closing via Escape. Automated scans also flag low contrast for priority dropdown icons. An internal design ticket debates whether the next major release should adopt WCAG 2.2’s new focus‑visible success criterion or retain the existing WCAG 2.1 AA baseline.

The goal is to decide which accessibility baseline to target for the issue‑creation workflow while balancing backward compatibility, differences between Cloud and Data Center front‑ends, and verification results from axe core, screen‑reader testing, and keyboard‑only navigation.

What impact would adopting WCAG 2.2 focus‑visible have on the current Tab order and focus‑return behavior in the modal? How would the change affect screen‑reader announcement consistency for the description field when the modal opens? What trade‑offs exist between achieving WCAG 2.2 compliance and preserving the existing focus behavior for Jira Data Center/Server users?