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In today’s blog post we are going to look at the mother of all guidelines in web content accessibility.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are developed and updated by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These are considered as the core rules for achieving accessibility online and are the foundation for all modern laws in web accessibility.
The WCAG is a very, very big and comprehensive list of guidelines – both programming and design – that encompass all the important features that give people with disabilities freedom in the online world.
The guidelines were first introduced on the 9th of May 1999 and since then they have had significant development. The latest version was published in October of 2023. They are organized in different levels of compliance to make it easier for web page owners and developers to make a plan on how to achieve accessibility online.
In this blog post we are going to look at the key criteria that need to be met in order to achieve WCAG compliance.
Source: Pexels
What is WCAG Compliance?
WCAG compliance basically means the criteria you need to meet in order to achieve accessibility on your website.
The W3C takes into consideration a wide variety of disabilities while devising its guidelines. The key ones are visual, cognitive, auditory and physical. All of these result in disabilities that can have a profound effect on how people navigate the online world, so it is crucial to make your website as accessible as possible.
The WCAG guidelines are organized in three levels of compliance as follows:
- Level A – basic level of compliance;
- Level AA – significant level of compliance;
- Level AAA – full level of compliance.
Every level can be achieved after you have managed to encompass all the rules from the previous level. This means you can skip Level AA and go straight to Level AAA.
For the purpose of our blog post, we will talk mainly about Level AA compliance. This is considered a very high level in accessibility and it lays the groundwork for all the current laws in accessibility.
Most of them stem from Level AA, stating that if you have this level of WCAG compliance, you can rest assured that you are not punishable by law in regard to accessibility.
Wcag Compliance Checklist
As we have already said, all modern laws consider Level AA of WCAG compliance as high enough for accessibility.
Here, we will give you a Level A and Level AA compliance checklist. It will outline some of the key guidelines for compliance. You can follow the simple steps one by one to achieve a very high level of compliance with the core guidelines of W3C.
Criteria
WCAG Level
Recommendation
Images
A
- Images must have alternative text/description;
- Image or icon used as a button must have a description of the button;
Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)
A
- Audio must have a transcript, including dialogue and all other sounds;
- Video must have a text alternative or audio description;
- Video without audio must have a text alternative or audio description;
- All pre-recorded audio must have captions;
- Video must have a descriptive text or audio description;
Captions (Live)
AA
- LIVE audio and video must have captions;
Audio Description (Prerecorded)
AA
- Videos must have "radio style" narration. Include any text elements in the narration.
Sensory Characteristics
A
- Never identify content based on its color, size, shape, position, sound, or other sensory characteristics.
Orientation
AA
- All content should be available regardless of vertical or horizontal orientation.
Use of Color
A
- Always combine color and text for conveying information.
Audio Control
A
- Never use audio that plays automatically.
- Always provide a way to stop or pause the audio.
Contrast (Minimum)
AA
- All text must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1
Resize text
AA
- Resizing the text should not lead to loss of content.
Multiple Ways
AA
- Each website should include at least two of the following: a list of related pages; table of contents; site map; search; or list of all pages.
Consistent Navigation
AA
- Components must appear in the same order everywhere;
- The navigation menu must be the same everywhere;
Consistent Identification
AA
- Always label components the same way everywhere on your website.
Error Suggestion
AA
- Always provide suggestions for fixing errors in forms/other submissions.
Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data)
AA
- Always provide ways to correct or reverse the action of users if there’s a mistake that can lead to serious real-world consequences.
As we said, the WCAG rulebook is very big and offers a lot of valuable information for developers and web page owners.
You can access the full list with guidelines here.
Tips For Ensuring full WCAG compliance
Our best tip to ensure full WCAG compliance is to start early. If you decide that your business or product needs a website, it’s best to consider accessibility compliance in the development stage of the page.
That way you can achieve full WCAG compliance easier. Also, make sure that you follow all of the steps consistently.
And our third tip is to regularly check for updates of the guidelines. As we’ve said, the WCAG is an ever-evolving body of information, so it’s crucial to stay up-to-date.
Conclusion
The WCAG is a rulebook with accessibility standards, considered as the core of every modern law on online accessibility. It is developed and updated by W3C and we are currently at version 2.2. Version 3.0 of WCAG is in the works.
Compliance with the core guidelines in web content accessibility leads to compliance with most modern laws in accessibility. The W3C gives full checklists in order to achieve the different levels of compliance.
Accessibility online is the way we change how people with disabilities navigate and use the online world. When your web page is accessible, this can lead to higher trust in your product and increase revenue.
But most importantly – by making your web pages accessible to people with disabilities, you will fulfill your moral obligation to society as a whole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my web page achieve Level AA compliance without Level A?
No, it can't. You must first meet the criteria in the previous level before working your way up to higher compliance.
Is it mandatory to comply with WCAG standards?
The guidelines are not mandatory, but they are in the core of most modern accessibility laws. Achieving WCAG compliance will lead to protection from lawsuits in the future.
Can I achieve WCAG compliance on an already developed website?
Yes, you can! All you need to do is employ your developer to implement all of the guidelines. It will be harder than if you start early in the development stage, but it’s not impossible.