SpiceDB Policy Editor ↔ Screen Readers: What Accessibility Gaps Exist?

SpiceDB Policy Editor and Screen Readers

SpiceDB’s web UI provides a policy editor that allows users to create and update policy definitions. The editor currently relies on plain input elements without ARIA attributes, and modal dialogs for policy conditions are not focus‑trapped. As a result, screen readers announce the fields ambiguously, and keyboard users can tab out of modal dialogs, violating WCAG 2.1 guidelines. Additionally, the REST API returns generic JSON error messages that lack accessible markup for client‑side display.

The goal is to design an accessible workflow that supports keyboard navigation, screen‑reader announcements, and graceful degradation for users with limited JavaScript or network connectivity. Key constraints include maintaining compatibility with the existing REST API, avoiding heavyweight dependencies, and ensuring that any new UI components can be tested with standard accessibility tools.

Unresolved decisions:

• How to add ARIA labels to the policy editor fields without breaking the current API contract?
• What mechanism should be used to trap focus within modal dialogs in the current React implementation?
• Should a separate, fully accessible form be introduced for policy editing that supports keyboard shortcuts and voice commands?