@a11yfred/textlint-rule-neighbor

Textlint prose linting rules for accessibility and inclusive language. This plugin runs the exact same content rules as @a11yfred/neighbor for ESLint, but tailored natively for Textlint.

Installation

You need to install both textlint and this rule package. Because this rule shares dictionaries with the main neighbor package, you must install both:

npm install -D textlint @a11yfred/neighbor @a11yfred/textlint-rule-neighbor

Usage

Add neighbor to your .textlintrc or .textlintrc.json:

{
  "rules": {
    "@a11yfred/neighbor": true
  }
}

What It Checks

This rule analyzes your markdown and text nodes for:

• Ableist Language: Flags slurs, condescending euphemisms, and suffering-framing.
• Disability Metaphors: Flags figurative uses of disability ("blind spot", "tone deaf").
• English Idioms: Flags opaque business jargon and sports metaphors that are inaccessible to ESL readers.
• Directional Language: Flags layout-dependent position references ("see the right sidebar").
• Vague Call-To-Action: Flags unhelpful link text like "click here" or "read more".
• Exclusive Language: Flags non-inclusive jargon and culturally appropriated terms ("blacklist", "spirit animal").
• Colonial & Violent Language: Flags terms rooted in colonialism or violence when applied to people ("stakeholder", "target audience").
• Deficit Language: Flags language reducing people to their circumstances ("the homeless", "addict").
• Gendered Language: Flags generic gendered pronouns and occupation names ("he/she", "fireman", "manpower").
• Anti-LGBTQ+ Language: Flags outdated or pathologizing terms regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Device-Specific Actions: Flags verbs assuming a specific input device ("click on", "tap the").
• Typography in Prose: Flags words in ALL CAPS (which screen readers may spell out letter-by-letter) and raw & used in place of "and" in prose (off by default).
• Cross-Dialect Confusion: Flags terms causing confusion or double entendre across English dialects (e.g. "pants", "cum") (off by default).

Options

You can configure options in your .textlintrc. The rule accepts options to customize behavior:

• allow (array of strings): A list of matched terms to ignore/allow.
• enableOffTerms (boolean, default: false): Set to true to enable checking of highly culturally specific regional terms that are disabled by default (e.g. beyond the pale, dreamtime, part-Aboriginal).
• knownAcronyms (array of strings): Additional ALL CAPS acronyms/words to allow under the ALL CAPS rule.

Example configuration in .textlintrc.json:

{
  "rules": {
    "@a11yfred/neighbor": {
      "allow": ["acceptable idiom"],
      "enableOffTerms": true,
      "knownAcronyms": ["GDPR", "CCPA"]
    }
  }
}