Introduction
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are technical standards for web accessibility. WCAG is internationally recognized by organizations and legal authorities across the world as the preeminent digital accessibility standards in the world.
Before you start, our WCAG Course has everything you need to learn the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines in 3-5 hours. You can sign up and start learning right now at ADACompliance.net.
To go directly to Kris’s WCAG 2.1 AA Checklist, visit the Accessible.org WCAG resource page. You will find both full guides and checklists for WCAG 2.1 AA and WCAG 2.2 AA.
Table of Contents
Versions
There are three different versions for WCAG:
- 2.0
- 2.1
- 2.2
Version 1.0 also exists, but it was published in 1999 and is generally not discussed because the more modern versions are much more comprehensive.
Version 2.0 was published in 2008 and is considered the classic standard.
Version 2.1 was published ten years later in 2018 and included several updates for the increased use in mobile devices.
Version 2.2 was just recently published in 2023 and contained only a relatively few updates that weren’t added in 2.1.
Conformance Levels
In addition to versions, there are three conformance levels for WCAG:
- A
- AA
- AAA
Level A provides a basic level of accessibility.
Level AA provides a comprehensive level of accessibility.
Level AAA provides an excellent level of accessibility.
Success Criteria
Success criteria comprise each version and conformance level. The higher the version and conformance level, the more success criteria are necessary for conformance.
- WCAG 2.0 AA has 38 success criteria.
- WCAG 2.1 AA has 50 success criteria.
- WCAG 2.2 AA has 55 success criteria.
Success criteria are requirements for conformance. In simple terms, think of success criteria as things to do or account for for accessibility.
Examples of Success Criteria
To help give you a better feel for the requirements, let’s examine three success criteria directly from the W3C website.
1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A)
All non-text content that is presented to the user has a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose, except for the situations listed below.
2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA)
Headings and labels describe topic or purpose.
3.3.1 Error Identification (Level A)
If an input error is automatically detected, the item that is in error is identified and the error is described to the user in text.
Backwards Compatible
It’s very important to know that WCAG is backwards compatible. This means that WCAG builds on top of previous versions and conformance levels.
For example, WCAG 2.1 AA is comprised of 50 success criteria. 38 of those success criteria are from WCAG 2.0 AA because version 2.1 builds on top of 2.0. Thus, WCAG 2.1 AA only introduced 12 additional success criteria when it was released.
Criticisms
One of the most commonly levied criticisms against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines is that the documentation is anything but WCAG for beginners.
Almost all success criteria are written at a doctorate reading level, with extremely technical language. This is why so many people seek out third-party guides, checklists, and training – to actually understand what the guidelines are asking for.
The guidelines are also criticized for being overly permissible in certain circumstances such as:
- allowing autoplaying audio
- permitting flashing content
- not requiring text transcripts for video
Non Web Assets
One common source of confusion is how WCAG applies to different digital assets such as mobile apps and documents. The guidelines are technical standards for the web so they are meant for web based assets such as:
- websites
- web pages
- web content
- web applications
When it comes to web based assets, just think of anything that can be accessed by a web browser.
However, WCAG was not written for non web assets such as native mobile apps, hybrid apps, software, documents, and other assets. Therefore, the guidelines don’t always apply evenly.
However, even though the success criteria may not always make sense for a non web asset, the general principles found in WCAG usually apply to any digital asset, regardless of the technology.
Skill
Knowledge of WCAG is a tremendous skill that is in extreme demand in the marketplace as more companies and public entities are prioritizing digital accessibility. The current legal landscape and compliance requirements – including the newly minted web accessibility rule under Title II of the ADA – have accelerated the urgency in making online experiences accessible.
This means learning WCAG can help you land a job or consulting gigs. There continually six-figure positions that are posted in 2024.
Developing proficiency and expertise does take some time as experience is inherent in leveling up, but the essential knowledge only takes a few hours to learn.
Training
Would you like to learn the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines?
The WCAG Course is beginner friendly and can help anyone – even if you’re completely new to web accessibility – learn WCAG 2.1 AA.
This training features:
- Video and text explanations
- Plain English instructions on what to do
- Examples
- Sample code
- Downloadable Excel spreadsheet checklist
- Accessibility workflows cheatsheet
The WCAG Course is also divided by modules for WCAG 2.0 AA, 2.1 AA, and 2.2 AA so you can focus on each version in chronological order.
The lessons also contain a link to the source documentation so that if you have any questions or need more details, you can easily go to the W3C official documentation and read the technical standards.
The WCAG Course is on demand training that you can access right now.
Sign up for beginner friendly WCAG training and learn web accessibility.
Do you need website accessibility services to make your website WCAG 2.1 AA conformant? Go to the Accessible.org homepage to find out how we can help you.
