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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are part of a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the main international standards organization for the Internet. They are a set of recommendations for making Web content more accessible, primarily for people with disabilities—but also for all user agents, including highly limited devices, such as mobile phones. WCAG 2.0, were published in December 2008 and became an ISO standard, ISO/IEC 40500:2012 in October 2012.[3] WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023.[1]

WCAG
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
AbbreviationWCAG
StatusW3C Recommendation
Year startedJanuary 1995 (1995-01)
First published9 May 1999 (1999-05-09)
Latest version2.2
October 5, 2023; 11 days ago (2023-10-05)[1]
Preview version3.0
July 24, 2023; 2 months ago (2023-07-24)[2]
OrganizationW3C, ISO, IEC[3]
CommitteeAccessibility Guidelines Working Group
Editors
  • Andrew Kirkpatrick
  • Joshue O Connor
  • Alastair Campbell
  • Ben Caldwell
  • Michael Cooper
  • Loretta Guarino Reid
  • Gregg Vanderheiden
  • Wendy Chisholm
  • John Slatin
  • Jason White
  • Rachael Bradley Montgomery
  • Jeanne Spellman
  • Shawn Lauriat
[1]
DomainWeb accessibility
Copyright© 2020–2023 W3C® (MIT, ERCIM, Keio, Beihang).
Website
  • W3C: www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
  • ISO / IEC: www.iso.org/standard/58625.html

History Edit

Earlier guidelines (1995–1998) Edit

The first web accessibility guideline was compiled by Gregg Vanderheiden and released in January 1995, just after the 1994 Second International Conference on the World-Wide Web (WWW II) in Chicago (where Tim Berners-Lee first mentioned disability access in a keynote speech after seeing a pre-conference workshop on accessibility led by Mike Paciello).[4]

Over 38 different Web access guidelines followed from various authors and organizations over the next few years.[5] These were brought together in the Unified Web Site Accessibility Guidelines compiled at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[6] Version 8 of the Unified Web Site Accessibility Guidelines, published in 1998, served as the starting point for the W3C's WCAG 1.0.[7]

Version 1 (1999–2000) Edit

The WCAG 1.0 were published and became a W3C recommendation on 5 May 1999. In February 2008, The WCAG Samurai, a group of developers independent of the W3C, and led by Joe Clark, published corrections for, and extensions to, the WCAG 1.0.[8]

Version 2 (2001–present) Edit

The first concept proposal of WCAG 2.0 was published on 25 January 2001. In the following years new versions were published intended to solicit feedback from accessibility experts and members of the disability community. On 27 April 2006 a "Last Call Working Draft" was published.[9] Due to the many amendments that were necessary, WCAG 2.0 were published again as a concept proposal on 17 May 2007, followed by a second "Last Call Working Draft" on 11 December 2007.[10][11] In April 2008 the guidelines became a "Candidate Recommendation".[12] On 3 November 2008 the guidelines became a "Proposed Recommendation". WCAG 2.0 were published as a W3C Recommendation on 11 December 2008.[13][14] In October 2012, WCAG 2.0 were accepted by the International Organization for Standardization as an ISO International Standard, ISO/IEC 40500:2012.[15][16][17][3] In early 2014, WCAG 2.0's Level A and Level AA success criteria were incorporated as references in clause 9.2 ("Web content requirements") of the European standard EN 301 549 published by ETSI.[18] EN 301 549 was produced in response to a mandate that the European Commission gave to the three official European standardisation bodies (CEN, CENELEC and ETSI) and is the first European standard for ICT products and services.[19][20]

WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023.[1]

Version 3 (under development) Edit

In early 2021, the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group presented the first public working draft (FPWD) of the future WCAG 3.0, intended to provide a range of recommendations for making web content more accessible. The 2021 FPWD introduced a new color contrast method as part of WCAG 3.0, as a candidate to replace the existing WCAG 2.x contrast specification, called the Accessible Perceptual Contrast Algorithm (APCA), which is currently being beta tested.[21] It should be made clear that no part of WCAG 3.0 is an official recommendation. WCAG 3.0 is a draft undergoing significant development efforts, and the expected release date as an official recommendation is not defined.

Versions Edit

Version 1 Edit

WCAG 1.0 consist of 14 guidelines—each of which describes a general principle of accessible design. Each guideline covers a basic theme of web accessibility and is associated with one or more checkpoints that describes how to apply that guideline to particular webpage features.

  • Guideline 1: Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content
  • Guideline 2: Don't rely on colour alone
  • Guideline 3: Use markup and style sheets, and do so properly
  • Guideline 4: Clarify natural language usage
  • Guideline 5: Create tables that transform gracefully
  • Guideline 6: Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully
  • Guideline 7: Ensure user control of time sensitive content changes
  • Guideline 8: Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces
  • Guideline 9: Design for device independence
  • Guideline 10: User interim solutions
  • Guideline 11: Use W3C technologies and guidelines
  • Guideline 12: Provide context and orientation information
  • Guideline 13: Provide clear navigation mechanisms
  • Guideline 14: Ensure that documents are clear and simple

Each of the in total 65 WCAG 1.0 checkpoints has an assigned priority level based on the checkpoint's impact on accessibility:

  • Priority 1: Web developers must satisfy these requirements, otherwise it will be impossible for one or more groups to access the Web content. Conformance to this level is described as A.
  • Priority 2: Web developers should satisfy these requirements, otherwise some groups will find it difficult to access the Web content. Conformance to this level is described as AA or Double-A.
  • Priority 3: Web developers may satisfy these requirements to make it easier for some groups to access the Web content. Conformance to this level is described as AAA or Triple-A.

Version 2 Edit

WCAG 2.0 consist of twelve guidelines organized under four principles (websites must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust). Each guideline has testable success criteria (61 in all).[22] The W3C's Techniques for WCAG 2.0[23] is a list of techniques that help authors meet the guidelines and success criteria. The techniques are periodically updated whereas the principles, guidelines and success criteria are stable and do not change.[24] WCAG 2.0 uses the same three levels of conformance (A, AA, AAA) as WCAG 1.0, but has redefined them. The WCAG working group maintains an extensive list of web accessibility techniques and common failure cases for WCAG 2.0.[25]

WCAG 2.1 is backwards-compatible with WCAG 2.0, which it extends with a further 17 success criteria.

WCAG 2.2 is backwards-compatible with WCAG 2.1 extending it a further nine success criteria and with WCAG 2.0 extending it a further 26 success criteria (including the 17 success criteria introduced by WCAG 2.1).

WCAG 2 Guidelines
Principles Guidelines Success Criteria Conformance Level Revision
1: Perceivable 1.1 Text Alternatives 1.1.1 Non-text Content A 2.0
1.2 Time-based Media 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) A 2.0
1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) A 2.0
1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) A 2.0
1.2.4 Captions (Live) AA 2.0
1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) AA 2.0
1.2.6 Sign Language (Prerecorded) AAA 2.0
1.2.7 Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded) AAA 2.0
1.2.8 Media Alternative (Prerecorded) AAA 2.0
1.2.9 Audio-only (Live) AAA 2.0
1.3 Adaptable 1.3.1 Info and Relationships A 2.0
1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence A 2.0
1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics A 2.0
1.3.4 Orientation AA 2.1
1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose AA 2.1
1.3.6 Identify Purpose AAA 2.1
1.4 Distinguishable 1.4.1 Use of Color A 2.0
1.4.2 Audio Control A 2.0
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) AA 2.0
1.4.4 Resize text AA 2.0
1.4.5 Images of Text AA 2.0
1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced) AAA 2.0
1.4.7 Low or No Background Audio AAA 2.0
1.4.8 Visual Presentation AAA 2.0
1.4.9 Images of Text (No Exception) AAA 2.0
1.4.10 Reflow AA 2.1
1.4.11 Non-Text Contrast AA 2.1
1.4.12 Text Spacing AA 2.1
1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus AA 2.1
2: Operable 2.1 Keyboard Accessible 2.1.1 Keyboard A 2.0
2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap A 2.0
2.1.3 Keyboard (No Exception) AAA 2.0
2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts A 2.1
2.2 Enough Time 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable A 2.0
2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide A 2.0
2.2.3 No Timing AAA 2.0
2.2.4 Interruptions AAA 2.0
2.2.5 Re-authenticating AAA 2.0
2.2.6 Timeouts A 2.1
2.3 Seizures 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold A 2.0
2.3.2 Three Flashes AAA 2.0
2.3.3 Animation from Interactions AAA 2.1
2.4 Navigable 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks A 2.0
2.4.2 Page Titled A 2.0
2.4.3 Focus Order A 2.0
2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) A 2.0
2.4.5 Multiple Ways AA 2.0
2.4.6 Headings and Labels AA 2.0
2.4.7 Focus Visible AA 2.0
2.4.8 Location AAA 2.0
2.4.9 Link Purpose (Link Only) AAA 2.0
2.4.10 Section Headings AAA 2.0
2.4.11 Focus Appearance AA 2.2
2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) AA 2.2
2.4.13 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced) AAA 2.2
2.5 Input Modalities 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures A 2.1
2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation A 2.1
2.5.3 Label in Name A 2.1
2.5.4 Motion Actuation A 2.1
2.5.5 Target Size A 2.1
2.5.6 Concurrent Input Mechanisms A 2.1
2.5.7 Dragging Movements AA 2.2
2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) AA 2.2
3: Understandable 3.1 Readable 3.1.1 Language of Page A 2.0
3.1.2 Language of Parts AA 2.0
3.1.3 Unusual Words AAA 2.0
3.1.4 Abbreviations AAA 2.0
3.1.5 Reading Level AAA 2.0
3.1.6 Pronunciation AAA 2.0
3.2 Predictable 3.2.1 On Focus A 2.0
3.2.2 On Input A 2.0
3.2.3 Consistent Navigation AA 2.0
3.2.4 Consistent Identification AA 2.0
3.2.5 Change on Request AAA 2.0
3.2.6 Consistent Help A 2.2
3.3 Input Assistance 3.3.1 Error Identification A 2.0
3.3.2 Labels or Instructions A 2.0
3.3.3 Error Suggestion AA 2.0
3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) AA 2.0
3.3.5 Help AAA 2.0
3.3.6 Error Prevention (All) AAA 2.0
3.3.7 Accessible Authentication AA 2.2
3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (No Exception) AAA 2.2
3.3.9 Redundant Entry A 2.2
4: Robust 4.1 Compatible 4.1.1 Parsing A 2.0
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value A 2.0
4.1.3 Status Messages AA 2.1

WCAG referenced by law Edit

This section only refers to specific instances where WCAG, or a closely related derivative thereof, is specifically codified into law. There are many laws relating to accessibility in general and which may apply to websites, though they don't necessarily refer to WCAG. It is nevertheless considered prudent to follow WCAG guidelines to help protect against potential lawsuits relating to accessibility.[26]

United States Edit

In 2013, the US Department of Transportation amended the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) to require Airlines make their Websites accessible, requiring conformance to WCAG 2.0, meeting Level AA Success Criteria.[27]

In January 2017, the US Access Board approved a final rule to update Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The new rule adopts seventeen WCAG 2.0 success criteria, but 22 of the 38 existing A-level and AA-level criteria were already covered by existing Section 508 guidelines. The rule requires adherence to the new standards twelve months from its date of publication in the federal register.[28][29]

In December, 2021 the 11th circuit court vacated a sometimes-cited case from 2017, which had referred to the WCAG guidelines as "industry standard". The 11th circuit court's ruling rendered the 2017 case moot.[30] As such, the case is no longer citable as caselaw. On March 2, 2022, the 11th circuit court refused to rehear the case.

European Union Edit

Directive 2016/2102[31] requires websites and mobile applications of public sector (i.e. government) bodies to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.[32][33] As of June 2021, the directive covers websites and mobile apps.[34] The European Parliament approved the directive in October 2016,[31] the European Commission updated the WCAG reference from 2.0 to 2.1 in December 2018.[33]

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) will become legally applicable in EU member states on 28 June 2025. The EAA will require websites, apps, ebooks, ecommerce platforms, PDFs and others to conform to WCAG 2.1 AA criteria within the EU.

United Kingdom Edit

In September 2018, website and mobile app accessibility regulations for the public sector came into force, titled the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018, which currently applies the WCAG 2.1 AA level to websites operated by the "public sector", which means government agencies or organizations funded by the government, with some exclusions. The UK government published Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies[35] to guide compliance.

The UK government is yet to announce if it will confirm the European Accessibility Act (EAA) into local law, but companies in the UK and outside of the EU will need to comply with EAA if they sell products or services in any EU member state.[36]

Canada Edit

Regulations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 require that public web content of certain Ontario organizations complies with WCAG 2.0 Level AA.

The 2010/2012 Jodhan decision[37] caused the Canadian federal government to require all online web pages, documents and videos available externally and internally to meet the accessibility requirements of WCAG 2.0.[38]

Australia Edit

The Australian government has also mandated via the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 that all Australian government websites meet the WCAG 2.0 level A accessibility requirements.[39]

Israel Edit

The Israeli Ministry of Justice published regulations in early 2014, requiring Internet websites to comply with Israeli Standard 5568, which is based on the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.

The main differences between the Israeli standard and the W3C standard concern the requirements to provide captions and texts for audio and video media. The Israeli standards are somewhat more lenient, reflecting the current technical difficulties in providing such captions and texts in Hebrew.[40][41]

References Edit

  1. ^ a b c d Campbell, Alastair; Adams, Chuck; Montgomery, Rachel Bradley; Cooper, Michael; Kirkpatrick, Andrew, eds. (5 October 2023). "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2". 2.2. W3C. from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  2. ^ Spellman, Jeanne; Montgomery, Rachael Bradley; Cooper, Michael; Lauriat, Shawn; Adams, Chuck; Campbell, Alastair, eds. (24 July 2023). "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3.0". 3.0. W3C. from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "ISO - ISO/IEC 40500:2012 - Information technology — W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0". ISO. ISO, IEC. 2012. from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  4. ^ Vanderheiden, Gregg C. (31 January 1995). "Design of HTML (Mosaic) Pages to Increase their Accessibility to Users with Disabilities; Strategies for Today and Tomorrow". Trace Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  5. ^ "References: Designing Accessible HTML Pages -- guidelines and overview documents". World Wide Web Consortium. from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Trace Center". Trace Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison. from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  7. ^ Vanderheiden, Gregg C.; Chisholm, Wendy A., eds. (20 January 1998). "Unified Web Site Accessibility Guidelines". Trace Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison. from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  8. ^ . WCAG Samurai. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013.
  9. ^ Caldwell, Ben; Chisholm, Wendy; Slatin, John; Vanderheiden, Gregg, eds. (27 April 2006). "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 – W3C Working Draft 27 April 2006". W3C. from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  10. ^ Caldwell, Ben; Cooper, Michael; Guarino Reid, Loretta; Vanderheiden, Gregg; Chisholm, Wendy; Slatin, John; White, Jason, eds. (17 May 2007). "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 – W3C Working Draft 17 May 2007". W3C. from the original on 23 June 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  11. ^ Caldwell, Ben; Cooper, Michael; Guarino Reid, Loretta; Vanderheiden, Gregg; Chisholm, Wendy; Slatin, John; White, Jason, eds. (11 December 2017). "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 – W3C Working Draft 11 December 2007". W3C. from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  12. ^ "WCAG 2.0 Candidate Recommendation Implementation Information". W3C. from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  13. ^ "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 – W3C Recommendation 11 December 2008". W3.org. from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  14. ^ W3C: W3C Web Standard Defines Accessibility for Next Generation Web 12 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine (press release, 11 December 2008).
  15. ^ Henry, Shawn (15 October 2012). "WCAG 2.0 is now also ISO/IEC 40500!". World Wide Web Consortium. from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  16. ^ "W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 approved as an ISO/IEC International Standard". World Wide Web Consortium. 15 October 2012. from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  17. ^ "ISO/IEC 40500:2012 - Information technology -- W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0". ISO. from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  18. ^ ETSI: EN 301 549 V1.1.1 (2014-02): Accessibility requirements suitable for public procurement of ICT products and services in Europe 31 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 27 November 2015.
  19. ^ CEN-CENELEC: New European Standard will help to make ICT products and services accessible for all 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine. 19 February 2014. Accessed 27 November 2015.
  20. ^ CEN-CENELEC: Mandate 376 10 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. (No date). Accessed 27 November 2015.
  21. ^ "Improving accessibility with the new APCA". Lightflows. 28 January 2022. from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  22. ^ "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0". W3C. from the original on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  23. ^ "Techniques for WCAG 2.0". W3C. from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  24. ^ "Understanding Techniques for WCAG Success Criteria". W3C. from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  25. ^ "Techniques for WCAG 2.0". W3.org. from the original on 27 July 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  26. ^ "Disabled access to websites under UK law". Out-Law.com. October 2011. from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  27. ^ "Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel: Accessibility of Web Sites and Automated Kiosks at U.S. Airports" (PDF). transportation.gov. US Department of Transportation. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  28. ^ "Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Final Standards and Guidelines" (PDF). United States Access Board. 9 January 2017. (PDF) from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  29. ^ "Final Regulatory Impact Analysis: Final Rule to Update the Section 508 Standards and Section 255 Guidelines". United States Access Board. 5 January 2017. from the original on 15 March 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  30. ^ "Eleventh Circuit Vacates Gil v. Winn-Dixie Opinion Due to Mootness". Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  31. ^ a b "Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies (Text with EEA relevance)". Publications Office of the European Union. 26 October 2016. from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  32. ^ "COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT pursuant to Article 294(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union concerning the position of the Council on the adoption of a Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies". Publications Office of the European Union. 18 July 2016. from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  33. ^ a b "Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/2048 of 20 December 2018 on the harmonised standard for websites and mobile applications drafted in support of Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council". Publications Office of the European Union. 20 December 2018. from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  34. ^ "DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies, Article 12". Publications Office of the European Union. 26 October 2016. from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  35. ^ "Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies". Central Digital & Data Office. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  36. ^ "How The European Accessibility Act may Impact UK Websites". www.ronins.co.uk. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  37. ^ "Jodhan decision". Ccdonline.ca. 30 May 2012. from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  38. ^ "Canadian Treasury Board Secretariat Standard on Web Accessibility". Tbs-sct.gc.ca. 1 August 2011. from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  39. ^ "Accessibility". Web Guide. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  40. ^ "Making the web accessible". Gov.il. State of Israel. from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  41. ^ . Israel Technology Law Blog. Archived from the original on 28 September 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

External links Edit

  • W3C – Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2
  • W3C – Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) introduction to WCAG
  • Mauve, an accessibility validator developed by HIIS Lab – ISTI of CNR of Pisa (Italy).
  • WAVE – Online accessibility validator
  • WCAG 2.0 checklist
  • Achieving WCAG 2.0 with PDF/UA – Document published by the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM)
  • WCAG for eLearning - Training Accessibility Guidelines
  • Digital Accessibility WCAG AA Checklist: 10 Critical Elements to Evaluate for Website Accessibility
  • The History of Digital Accessibility and Why it Matters

content, accessibility, guidelines, wcag, part, series, accessibility, guidelines, published, accessibility, initiative, world, wide, consortium, main, international, standards, organization, internet, they, recommendations, making, content, more, accessible, . The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG are part of a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative WAI of the World Wide Web Consortium W3C the main international standards organization for the Internet They are a set of recommendations for making Web content more accessible primarily for people with disabilities but also for all user agents including highly limited devices such as mobile phones WCAG 2 0 were published in December 2008 and became an ISO standard ISO IEC 40500 2012 in October 2012 3 WCAG 2 2 became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023 1 WCAGWeb Content Accessibility GuidelinesWorld Wide Web Consortium W3C logoAbbreviationWCAGStatusW3C RecommendationYear startedJanuary 1995 1995 01 First published9 May 1999 1999 05 09 Latest version2 2October 5 2023 11 days ago 2023 10 05 1 Preview version3 0July 24 2023 2 months ago 2023 07 24 2 OrganizationW3C ISO IEC 3 CommitteeAccessibility Guidelines Working GroupEditorsAndrew Kirkpatrick Joshue O Connor Alastair Campbell Ben Caldwell Michael Cooper Loretta Guarino Reid Gregg Vanderheiden Wendy Chisholm John Slatin Jason White Rachael Bradley Montgomery Jeanne Spellman Shawn Lauriat 1 DomainWeb accessibilityCopyright c 2020 2023 W3C MIT ERCIM Keio Beihang WebsiteW3C www wbr w3 wbr org wbr TR wbr WCAG22 wbr ISO IEC www wbr iso wbr org wbr standard wbr 58625 wbr html Contents 1 History 1 1 Earlier guidelines 1995 1998 1 2 Version 1 1999 2000 1 3 Version 2 2001 present 1 4 Version 3 under development 2 Versions 2 1 Version 1 2 2 Version 2 3 WCAG referenced by law 3 1 United States 3 2 European Union 3 3 United Kingdom 3 4 Canada 3 5 Australia 3 6 Israel 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditEarlier guidelines 1995 1998 Edit The first web accessibility guideline was compiled by Gregg Vanderheiden and released in January 1995 just after the 1994 Second International Conference on the World Wide Web WWW II in Chicago where Tim Berners Lee first mentioned disability access in a keynote speech after seeing a pre conference workshop on accessibility led by Mike Paciello 4 Over 38 different Web access guidelines followed from various authors and organizations over the next few years 5 These were brought together in the Unified Web Site Accessibility Guidelines compiled at the University of Wisconsin Madison 6 Version 8 of the Unified Web Site Accessibility Guidelines published in 1998 served as the starting point for the W3C s WCAG 1 0 7 Version 1 1999 2000 Edit The WCAG 1 0 were published and became a W3C recommendation on 5 May 1999 In February 2008 The WCAG Samurai a group of developers independent of the W3C and led by Joe Clark published corrections for and extensions to the WCAG 1 0 8 Version 2 2001 present Edit The first concept proposal of WCAG 2 0 was published on 25 January 2001 In the following years new versions were published intended to solicit feedback from accessibility experts and members of the disability community On 27 April 2006 a Last Call Working Draft was published 9 Due to the many amendments that were necessary WCAG 2 0 were published again as a concept proposal on 17 May 2007 followed by a second Last Call Working Draft on 11 December 2007 10 11 In April 2008 the guidelines became a Candidate Recommendation 12 On 3 November 2008 the guidelines became a Proposed Recommendation WCAG 2 0 were published as a W3C Recommendation on 11 December 2008 13 14 In October 2012 WCAG 2 0 were accepted by the International Organization for Standardization as an ISO International Standard ISO IEC 40500 2012 15 16 17 3 In early 2014 WCAG 2 0 s Level A and Level AA success criteria were incorporated as references in clause 9 2 Web content requirements of the European standard EN 301 549 published by ETSI 18 EN 301 549 was produced in response to a mandate that the European Commission gave to the three official European standardisation bodies CEN CENELEC and ETSI and is the first European standard for ICT products and services 19 20 WCAG 2 2 became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023 1 Version 3 under development Edit In early 2021 the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group presented the first public working draft FPWD of the future WCAG 3 0 intended to provide a range of recommendations for making web content more accessible The 2021 FPWD introduced a new color contrast method as part of WCAG 3 0 as a candidate to replace the existing WCAG 2 x contrast specification called the Accessible Perceptual Contrast Algorithm APCA which is currently being beta tested 21 It should be made clear that no part of WCAG 3 0 is an official recommendation WCAG 3 0 is a draft undergoing significant development efforts and the expected release date as an official recommendation is not defined Versions EditVersion 1 Edit WCAG 1 0 consist of 14 guidelines each of which describes a general principle of accessible design Each guideline covers a basic theme of web accessibility and is associated with one or more checkpoints that describes how to apply that guideline to particular webpage features Guideline 1 Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content Guideline 2 Don t rely on colour alone Guideline 3 Use markup and style sheets and do so properly Guideline 4 Clarify natural language usage Guideline 5 Create tables that transform gracefully Guideline 6 Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully Guideline 7 Ensure user control of time sensitive content changes Guideline 8 Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces Guideline 9 Design for device independence Guideline 10 User interim solutions Guideline 11 Use W3C technologies and guidelines Guideline 12 Provide context and orientation information Guideline 13 Provide clear navigation mechanisms Guideline 14 Ensure that documents are clear and simpleEach of the in total 65 WCAG 1 0 checkpoints has an assigned priority level based on the checkpoint s impact on accessibility Priority 1 Web developers must satisfy these requirements otherwise it will be impossible for one or more groups to access the Web content Conformance to this level is described as A Priority 2 Web developers should satisfy these requirements otherwise some groups will find it difficult to access the Web content Conformance to this level is described as AA or Double A Priority 3 Web developers may satisfy these requirements to make it easier for some groups to access the Web content Conformance to this level is described as AAA or Triple A Version 2 Edit WCAG 2 0 consist of twelve guidelines organized under four principles websites must be perceivable operable understandable and robust Each guideline has testable success criteria 61 in all 22 The W3C s Techniques for WCAG 2 0 23 is a list of techniques that help authors meet the guidelines and success criteria The techniques are periodically updated whereas the principles guidelines and success criteria are stable and do not change 24 WCAG 2 0 uses the same three levels of conformance A AA AAA as WCAG 1 0 but has redefined them The WCAG working group maintains an extensive list of web accessibility techniques and common failure cases for WCAG 2 0 25 WCAG 2 1 is backwards compatible with WCAG 2 0 which it extends with a further 17 success criteria WCAG 2 2 is backwards compatible with WCAG 2 1 extending it a further nine success criteria and with WCAG 2 0 extending it a further 26 success criteria including the 17 success criteria introduced by WCAG 2 1 WCAG 2 Guidelines Principles Guidelines Success Criteria Conformance Level Revision1 Perceivable 1 1 Text Alternatives 1 1 1 Non text Content A 2 01 2 Time based Media 1 2 1 Audio only and Video only Prerecorded A 2 01 2 2 Captions Prerecorded A 2 01 2 3 Audio Description or Media Alternative Prerecorded A 2 01 2 4 Captions Live AA 2 01 2 5 Audio Description Prerecorded AA 2 01 2 6 Sign Language Prerecorded AAA 2 01 2 7 Extended Audio Description Prerecorded AAA 2 01 2 8 Media Alternative Prerecorded AAA 2 01 2 9 Audio only Live AAA 2 01 3 Adaptable 1 3 1 Info and Relationships A 2 01 3 2 Meaningful Sequence A 2 01 3 3 Sensory Characteristics A 2 01 3 4 Orientation AA 2 11 3 5 Identify Input Purpose AA 2 11 3 6 Identify Purpose AAA 2 11 4 Distinguishable 1 4 1 Use of Color A 2 01 4 2 Audio Control A 2 01 4 3 Contrast Minimum AA 2 01 4 4 Resize text AA 2 01 4 5 Images of Text AA 2 01 4 6 Contrast Enhanced AAA 2 01 4 7 Low or No Background Audio AAA 2 01 4 8 Visual Presentation AAA 2 01 4 9 Images of Text No Exception AAA 2 01 4 10 Reflow AA 2 11 4 11 Non Text Contrast AA 2 11 4 12 Text Spacing AA 2 11 4 13 Content on Hover or Focus AA 2 12 Operable 2 1 Keyboard Accessible 2 1 1 Keyboard A 2 02 1 2 No Keyboard Trap A 2 02 1 3 Keyboard No Exception AAA 2 02 1 4 Character Key Shortcuts A 2 12 2 Enough Time 2 2 1 Timing Adjustable A 2 02 2 2 Pause Stop Hide A 2 02 2 3 No Timing AAA 2 02 2 4 Interruptions AAA 2 02 2 5 Re authenticating AAA 2 02 2 6 Timeouts A 2 12 3 Seizures 2 3 1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold A 2 02 3 2 Three Flashes AAA 2 02 3 3 Animation from Interactions AAA 2 12 4 Navigable 2 4 1 Bypass Blocks A 2 02 4 2 Page Titled A 2 02 4 3 Focus Order A 2 02 4 4 Link Purpose In Context A 2 02 4 5 Multiple Ways AA 2 02 4 6 Headings and Labels AA 2 02 4 7 Focus Visible AA 2 02 4 8 Location AAA 2 02 4 9 Link Purpose Link Only AAA 2 02 4 10 Section Headings AAA 2 02 4 11 Focus Appearance AA 2 22 4 12 Focus Not Obscured Minimum AA 2 22 4 13 Focus Not Obscured Enhanced AAA 2 22 5 Input Modalities 2 5 1 Pointer Gestures A 2 12 5 2 Pointer Cancellation A 2 12 5 3 Label in Name A 2 12 5 4 Motion Actuation A 2 12 5 5 Target Size A 2 12 5 6 Concurrent Input Mechanisms A 2 12 5 7 Dragging Movements AA 2 22 5 8 Target Size Minimum AA 2 23 Understandable 3 1 Readable 3 1 1 Language of Page A 2 03 1 2 Language of Parts AA 2 03 1 3 Unusual Words AAA 2 03 1 4 Abbreviations AAA 2 03 1 5 Reading Level AAA 2 03 1 6 Pronunciation AAA 2 03 2 Predictable 3 2 1 On Focus A 2 03 2 2 On Input A 2 03 2 3 Consistent Navigation AA 2 03 2 4 Consistent Identification AA 2 03 2 5 Change on Request AAA 2 03 2 6 Consistent Help A 2 23 3 Input Assistance 3 3 1 Error Identification A 2 03 3 2 Labels or Instructions A 2 03 3 3 Error Suggestion AA 2 03 3 4 Error Prevention Legal Financial Data AA 2 03 3 5 Help AAA 2 03 3 6 Error Prevention All AAA 2 03 3 7 Accessible Authentication AA 2 23 3 8 Accessible Authentication No Exception AAA 2 23 3 9 Redundant Entry A 2 24 Robust 4 1 Compatible 4 1 1 Parsing A 2 04 1 2 Name Role Value A 2 04 1 3 Status Messages AA 2 1WCAG referenced by law EditThis section only refers to specific instances where WCAG or a closely related derivative thereof is specifically codified into law There are many laws relating to accessibility in general and which may apply to websites though they don t necessarily refer to WCAG It is nevertheless considered prudent to follow WCAG guidelines to help protect against potential lawsuits relating to accessibility 26 United States Edit In 2013 the US Department of Transportation amended the Air Carrier Access Act ACAA to require Airlines make their Websites accessible requiring conformance to WCAG 2 0 meeting Level AA Success Criteria 27 In January 2017 the US Access Board approved a final rule to update Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 The new rule adopts seventeen WCAG 2 0 success criteria but 22 of the 38 existing A level and AA level criteria were already covered by existing Section 508 guidelines The rule requires adherence to the new standards twelve months from its date of publication in the federal register 28 29 In December 2021 the 11th circuit court vacated a sometimes cited case from 2017 which had referred to the WCAG guidelines as industry standard The 11th circuit court s ruling rendered the 2017 case moot 30 As such the case is no longer citable as caselaw On March 2 2022 the 11th circuit court refused to rehear the case European Union Edit Directive 2016 2102 31 requires websites and mobile applications of public sector i e government bodies to conform to WCAG 2 1 Level AA 32 33 As of June 2021 the directive covers websites and mobile apps 34 The European Parliament approved the directive in October 2016 31 the European Commission updated the WCAG reference from 2 0 to 2 1 in December 2018 33 The European Accessibility Act EAA will become legally applicable in EU member states on 28 June 2025 The EAA will require websites apps ebooks ecommerce platforms PDFs and others to conform to WCAG 2 1 AA criteria within the EU United Kingdom Edit In September 2018 website and mobile app accessibility regulations for the public sector came into force titled the Public Sector Bodies Websites and Mobile Applications Accessibility Regulations 2018 which currently applies the WCAG 2 1 AA level to websites operated by the public sector which means government agencies or organizations funded by the government with some exclusions The UK government published Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies 35 to guide compliance The UK government is yet to announce if it will confirm the European Accessibility Act EAA into local law but companies in the UK and outside of the EU will need to comply with EAA if they sell products or services in any EU member state 36 Canada Edit Regulations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005 require that public web content of certain Ontario organizations complies with WCAG 2 0 Level AA The 2010 2012 Jodhan decision 37 caused the Canadian federal government to require all online web pages documents and videos available externally and internally to meet the accessibility requirements of WCAG 2 0 38 Australia Edit The Australian government has also mandated via the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 that all Australian government websites meet the WCAG 2 0 level A accessibility requirements 39 Israel Edit The Israeli Ministry of Justice published regulations in early 2014 requiring Internet websites to comply with Israeli Standard 5568 which is based on the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2 0 The main differences between the Israeli standard and the W3C standard concern the requirements to provide captions and texts for audio and video media The Israeli standards are somewhat more lenient reflecting the current technical difficulties in providing such captions and texts in Hebrew 40 41 References Edit a b c d Campbell Alastair Adams Chuck Montgomery Rachel Bradley Cooper Michael Kirkpatrick Andrew eds 5 October 2023 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2 2 2 2 W3C Archived from the original on 5 October 2023 Retrieved 5 October 2023 Spellman Jeanne Montgomery Rachael Bradley Cooper Michael Lauriat Shawn Adams Chuck Campbell Alastair eds 24 July 2023 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 3 0 3 0 W3C Archived from the original on 27 September 2023 Retrieved 5 October 2023 a b c ISO ISO IEC 40500 2012 Information technology W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2 0 ISO ISO IEC 2012 Archived from the original on 7 December 2017 Retrieved 6 April 2021 Vanderheiden Gregg C 31 January 1995 Design of HTML Mosaic Pages to Increase their Accessibility to Users with Disabilities Strategies for Today and Tomorrow Trace Center University of Wisconsin Madison Archived from the original on 15 July 2012 Retrieved 22 September 2012 References Designing Accessible HTML Pages guidelines and overview documents World Wide Web Consortium Archived from the original on 2 March 2012 Retrieved 22 September 2012 Trace Center Trace Center University of Wisconsin Madison Archived from the original on 19 September 2012 Retrieved 22 September 2012 Vanderheiden Gregg C Chisholm Wendy A eds 20 January 1998 Unified Web Site Accessibility Guidelines Trace Center University of Wisconsin Madison Archived from the original on 2 March 2012 Retrieved 22 September 2012 Home Page WCAG Samurai Archived from the original on 13 January 2013 Caldwell Ben Chisholm Wendy Slatin John Vanderheiden Gregg eds 27 April 2006 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2 0 W3C Working Draft 27 April 2006 W3C Archived from the original on 25 April 2014 Retrieved 6 April 2021 Caldwell Ben Cooper Michael Guarino Reid Loretta Vanderheiden Gregg Chisholm Wendy Slatin John White Jason eds 17 May 2007 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2 0 W3C Working Draft 17 May 2007 W3C Archived from the original on 23 June 2014 Retrieved 6 April 2021 Caldwell Ben Cooper Michael Guarino Reid Loretta Vanderheiden Gregg Chisholm Wendy Slatin John White Jason eds 11 December 2017 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2 0 W3C Working Draft 11 December 2007 W3C Archived from the original on 28 April 2014 Retrieved 6 April 2021 WCAG 2 0 Candidate Recommendation Implementation Information W3C Archived from the original on 9 August 2022 Retrieved 21 April 2014 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2 0 W3C Recommendation 11 December 2008 W3 org Archived from the original on 28 June 2018 Retrieved 27 July 2013 W3C W3C Web Standard Defines Accessibility for Next Generation Web Archived 12 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine press release 11 December 2008 Henry Shawn 15 October 2012 WCAG 2 0 is now also ISO IEC 40500 World Wide Web Consortium Archived from the original on 9 September 2013 Retrieved 23 October 2012 W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2 0 approved as an ISO IEC International Standard World Wide Web Consortium 15 October 2012 Archived from the original on 18 October 2012 Retrieved 23 October 2012 ISO IEC 40500 2012 Information technology W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2 0 ISO Archived from the original on 8 March 2013 Retrieved 23 October 2012 ETSI EN 301 549 V1 1 1 2014 02 Accessibility requirements suitable for public procurement of ICT products and services in Europe Archived 31 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 27 November 2015 CEN CENELEC New European Standard will help to make ICT products and services accessible for all Archived 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine 19 February 2014 Accessed 27 November 2015 CEN CENELEC Mandate 376 Archived 10 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine No date Accessed 27 November 2015 Improving accessibility with the new APCA Lightflows 28 January 2022 Archived from the original on 4 August 2022 Retrieved 9 May 2022 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2 0 W3C Archived from the original on 18 February 2011 Retrieved 17 December 2014 Techniques for WCAG 2 0 W3C Archived from the original on 20 December 2014 Retrieved 17 December 2014 Understanding Techniques for WCAG Success Criteria W3C Archived from the original on 18 December 2014 Retrieved 17 December 2014 Techniques for WCAG 2 0 W3 org Archived from the original on 27 July 2013 Retrieved 27 July 2013 Disabled access to websites under UK law Out Law com October 2011 Archived from the original on 28 December 2014 Retrieved 15 January 2015 Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel Accessibility of Web Sites and Automated Kiosks at U S Airports PDF transportation gov US Department of Transportation Retrieved 21 December 2022 Information and Communication Technology ICT Final Standards and Guidelines PDF United States Access Board 9 January 2017 Archived PDF from the original on 23 October 2020 Retrieved 10 January 2017 Final Regulatory Impact Analysis Final Rule to Update the Section 508 Standards and Section 255 Guidelines United States Access Board 5 January 2017 Archived from the original on 15 March 2020 Retrieved 10 January 2017 Eleventh Circuit Vacates Gil v Winn Dixie Opinion Due to Mootness Retrieved 7 December 2022 a b Directive EU 2016 2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies Text with EEA relevance Publications Office of the European Union 26 October 2016 Archived from the original on 30 April 2019 Retrieved 30 April 2019 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT pursuant to Article 294 6 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union concerning the position of the Council on the adoption of a Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies Publications Office of the European Union 18 July 2016 Archived from the original on 9 June 2020 Retrieved 10 February 2017 a b Commission Implementing Decision EU 2018 2048 of 20 December 2018 on the harmonised standard for websites and mobile applications drafted in support of Directive EU 2016 2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council Publications Office of the European Union 20 December 2018 Archived from the original on 12 April 2019 Retrieved 30 April 2019 DIRECTIVE EU 2016 2102 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies Article 12 Publications Office of the European Union 26 October 2016 Archived from the original on 11 February 2017 Retrieved 10 February 2017 Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies Central Digital amp Data Office 22 August 2022 Retrieved 20 December 2022 How The European Accessibility Act may Impact UK Websites www ronins co uk 7 September 2023 Retrieved 11 September 2023 Jodhan decision Ccdonline ca 30 May 2012 Archived from the original on 28 July 2013 Retrieved 27 July 2013 Canadian Treasury Board Secretariat Standard on Web Accessibility Tbs sct gc ca 1 August 2011 Archived from the original on 23 July 2013 Retrieved 27 July 2013 Accessibility Web Guide Retrieved 20 December 2022 Making the web accessible Gov il State of Israel Archived from the original on 22 June 2022 Retrieved 22 June 2022 Website Accessibility Requirements Israel Technology Law Blog Archived from the original on 28 September 2014 Retrieved 22 June 2022 External links EditThis article s use of external links may not follow Wikipedia s policies or guidelines Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references September 2019 Learn how and when to remove this template message W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2 2 W3C Web Accessibility Initiative WAI introduction to WCAG Mauve an accessibility validator developed by HIIS Lab ISTI of CNR of Pisa Italy WAVE Online accessibility validator WCAG 2 0 checklist Achieving WCAG 2 0 with PDF UA Document published by the Association for Information and Image Management AIIM WCAG for eLearning Training Accessibility Guidelines Digital Accessibility WCAG AA Checklist 10 Critical Elements to Evaluate for Website Accessibility WCAG Samurai Errata The History of Digital Accessibility and Why it Matters Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Web Content Accessibility Guidelines amp oldid 1179694450 WCAG 2 0, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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