WCAG
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
A set of standards maintained by W3C that describe how to provide web content that is accessible for people with disabilities.
WCAG 1.0
Introduced in 1999 WCAG 1.0
Introduced in 1999 Prescriptive
Technology specific
Ambiguous
WCAG 1.0
Introduced in 1999 Prescriptive
Technology specific
Ambiguous
WCAG 2.0
Introduced in 2008 WCAG 1.0
Introduced in 1999 Prescriptive
Technology specific
Ambiguous
WCAG 2.0
Introduced in 2008 Declarative
Technology agnostic
Designed to be measureable and testable.
WCAG 1.0
Introduced in 1999 Prescriptive
Technology specific
Ambiguous
WCAG 2.0
Introduced in 2008 Declarative
Technology agnostic
Designed to be measureable and testable.
WCAG 3.0
Currently in development Consists of 13 guidelines across four categories
Perceivable
Information can't be invisible to all of a user's senses. Perceivable
Information can't be invisible to all of a user's senses. Operable
A user interface must not require interaction that is impossible for a user to perform. Perceivable
Information can't be invisible to all of a user's senses. Operable
A user interface must not require interaction that is impossible for a user to perform. Understandable
Operation cannot be beyond a user's understanding. Perceivable
Information can't be invisible to all of a user's senses. Operable
A user interface must not require interaction that is impossible for a user to perform. Understandable
Operation cannot be beyond a user's understanding. Robust
As technologies evolve, the content should remain accessible. Three levels of accessibility for each guideline.
Level A
Includes the most fundamental accessibility considerations.
Level A
Includes the most fundamental accessibility considerations.
Level AA
Represents the industry standard as well as a common legal target for compliance.
Level A
Includes the most fundamental accessibility considerations.
Level AA
Represents the industry standard as well as a common legal target for compliance.
Level AAA
The highest level of accessibility. Can include criteria such as live ASL interpreting.
Guidelines
Perceivable
- Non-text content should contain alt-text for screen readers.
- Provide captions or audio descriptions for time-based media.
- Use semantic HTML that can change without losing information.
- Content should be easy to see and hear.
Operable
- All functionality available from a keyboard.
- Provide enough time to read and interact with content.
- Don't design content in a way known to cause seizures.
- Provide ways for users to navigate.
- Functionality through inputs beyond the keyboard.
Understandable
- Content is readable and understandable.
- Interface behavior should be predicable.
- Help users avoid errors by providing form labels, validation, and meaningful errors.
Robust
- The page contains valid markup and uses correct ARIA labels.
Do you expect me to memorize all of that...
Nope!
Nope!
Just use existing tools