Understanding the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are widely acknowledged as the global standard for website accessibility. These guidelines offer a detailed framework for designing websites, digital content, and digital applications that are accessible to users with a wide range of disabilities.

Created by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), WCAG standards serve as the international benchmark for digital accessibility.

Let’s explore the various WCAG principles, how they help organizations comply with different legal requirements, and how to implement them across your digital offerings.

There are 1.3 billion people worldwide who live with disabilities, including auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual disabilities. Many disabilities can significantly impact how users interact with the web.

For individuals who are blind or have low vision, screen readers and keyboard navigation can be essential tools for browsing and engaging with web content. Some people with cognitive or motor disabilities might use voice commands, while those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may interpret audio content through closed captions and / or descriptive transcripts.

Digital accessibility is all about making sure everyone, especially those with disabilities, can fully experience online spaces. But the reality is that accessibility barriers are widespread. In fact, according to research by WebAIM, 96% of the top one million home pages contain Web Content Accessibility Guidelines violations. There’s a significant gap between the volume of digital content available, and the volume of content that’s usable for people with disabilities.

Web accessibility is essential to bridge this gap, ensuring online experiences work for everyone, including those with disabilities. As the W3C emphasizes, the goal of web accessibility is to eliminate barriers that prevent individuals from perceiving, understanding, navigating, and interacting with the web.

Conformance with the globally recognized WCAG framework is critical to designing and developing digital offerings that are accessible for all users.

WCAG is the international standard for website accessibility. These guidelines provide a clear, technical, and measurable framework that helps website owners ensure their content is accessible to all users.

WCAG offers detailed methodologies and techniques, backed by thorough documentation, to help with both the creation of new web experiences and the remediation of existing issues.

The most recent version of WCAG includes over 80 specific criteria for conformance that can be used to evaluate website accessibility.

WCAG is often referenced in legal matters, such as the U.S. Department of Justice’s enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These standards are also embedded in global accessibility laws, like Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Additionally, the presumptive standard for the European Accessibility Act (EAA), EN 301 549, includes WCAG.

Because meeting legal requirements for digital accessibility often involves conforming with WCAG, aligning with this standard isn’t optional for many organizations. It’s essential to avoid legal or regulatory action.

WCAG is built around four core principles and allows for three levels of conformance. In this section, we’ll break down these principles and conformance levels to help you understand how to ensure your digital content meets accessibility standards.

WCAG principles

WCAG’s accessibility standards are based on four principles (often referred to as “POUR”):

Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presented in ways that users can sense. This means providing users with options for perceiving content in different ways, for example, by adjusting color contrast, resizing text, or accessing captions for videos.

Operable: Users must be able to interact with and navigate the user interface in ways that suit their needs. For example, all functions should be accessible via keyboard, voice commands, or other input methods, not just a mouse.

Understandable: The content and operation of the user interface must be easy to comprehend. Instructions should be clear, and navigation should be intuitive, allowing users to understand and interact with the site without confusion.

Robust: Content should be robust enough that a broad range of users and assistive technologies can interpret it. As technology evolves, the site should remain accessible and functional for users of relevant assistive tools.

WCAG levels of conformance

There are three levels of WCAG conformance: A, AA, and AAA:

Level A: This is the basic level of accessibility, covering essential considerations for a broad range of users. However, some barriers may still remain for certain groups.

Level AA: This is the level that most organizations aim for, and that is commonly included in regulations or legal agreements. It offers broader access than Level A, especially for users of assistive technologies.

Level AAA: This is the highest level of conformance. It provides accessibility for the widest range of users but isn’t always practical or necessary in every situation. Some organizations aim to meet specific Level AAA criteria, while using Level AA as a baseline.

Each level builds on the one before it. So, to reach Level AA, you must first meet all Level A requirements, and to reach Level AAA, you must also satisfy all Level AA criteria.

Following the release of WCAG 2.2 in October 2023, many organizations are focusing on keeping up with these updates while still meeting the widely adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria.

Conforming with the most recent version of WCAG, currently WCAG 2.2, ensures your website also conforms with earlier versions like 2.1 and 2.0. This approach keeps your site aligned with evolving accessibility best practices.

So how exactly can you ensure your website meets WCAG standards? One effective solution is to use accessibility testing tools that evaluate your site’s conformance with WCAG. These technologies can help you assess and improve your accessibility levels.

Using an automated scanning tool, also known as an “accessibility checker,” is a great first step toward identifying accessibility issues across your site.

Automated scans can rapidly identify many common WCAG violations and provide you with a baseline understanding of your website’s accessibility. However, while automated scanning tools (or “accessibility checkers”) are a quick way to identify errors, they aren’t yet capable of catching everything. Your site may contain barriers for users that a rapid scan won’t detect.

For this reason, it’s wise to partner with experts in digital accessibility who can conduct a more thorough evaluation. These professionals will use additional types of testing, such as manual auditing and functional testing, to provide deeper insights into potential accessibility issues. They can also offer technical guidance to help you prioritize and remediate any findings.

Conforming with WCAG means that your organization is committed to creating an inclusive digital experience that meets the needs of all users, including those with disabilities.

On a practical level, sustained WCAG conformance involves integrating accessibility into every stage of your website or product’s development, from design to deployment.

Here are some WCAG best practices your web team can implement to start working toward meeting WCAG standards:

1. Provide captions for multimedia: Captions for videos and audio content are critical for making multimedia accessible to people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and can also make content easier to understand for a much broader range of users.

2. Ensure keyboard accessibility: Ensure all site functionality is accessible via keyboard for users who rely on keyboard navigation instead of a mouse.

3. Make interactive elements easily identifiable: Make interactive elements like buttons and links easy to spot and use. This is an important consideration for users of keyboard navigation, as well as for those with visual and cognitive disabilities.

4. Use an accessible font type and size: Choose readable font styles and sizes to ensure all users can easily understand text.

5. Add image alt text: Providing descriptive alt text for images allows screen reader users to understand visual content.

6. Descriptive anchor text: Use clear, descriptive text for links, so users understand the destination or purpose of the link. This is particularly critical for screen reader navigation.

7. Ensure compatibility with assistive technologies: Ensure your website works smoothly with assistive technologies like screen readers, magnification software, and speech recognition software.

8. Provide sufficient contrast between text and background elements: Adequate contrast between text and its background enhances readability for everyone and is essential for users who have low vision or color blindness.

9. Provide accessible form fields: Proper labeling and focus states for form fields ensure that all visitors, including those who use screen readers, can complete forms easily.

10. Design for mobile accessibility: Design your website to be fully accessible on mobile devices, benefiting users of touch navigation and smaller screens.

Websites are constantly evolving, with new content being added, edited, or removed regularly. This makes maintaining WCAG conformance a challenge. To keep up, websites must be designed with accessibility at the forefront, and regular testing against WCAG success criteria is vital to ensure ongoing accessibility.  

 A trusted digital accessibility solution provider can offer your team the technology and expertise necessary to meet WCAG standards and consistently deliver inclusive online experiences.   

It’s essential to choose a web accessibility solution that not only helps you assess your current accessibility status, but also empowers you to identify gaps, prioritize critical fixes, and integrate accessibility into your workflows.  

Discover how Level Access can equip you with the tools, training, and guidance required to start your WCAG conformance journey today.