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WCAG Guidelines

  • https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21
  • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines is the international standards for web accessibility created by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
  • The single set of guidelines exist to make sure that web content is accessible as many people as possible
  • WCAG 2.1 has 13 guidelines organized into four principles: P.O.U.R
  • Each accessibility guideline has a "success criteria" and "levels of conformance"
  • Perceivable:
    • Guidelines 1.1-1.4
    • users need to be able to perceive the information and interface components through atleast one of their senses
  • Operable
    • Guidelines 2.1-2.5
    • users needs to be able to operate all the UI controls
  • Understandable
    • Guidelines 3.1-3.3
    • Users need to be able to understand the UI and info
  • Robust
    • Guideline 4.1
    • The site shouldn't be so bad that it can't support user's assistive technologies

Success Criteria for WCAG conformance

  • Level A - Lowest Level (the bare minimum that's definitely needed)
  • Level AA - Mid-range Level (good enough to call your site "accessible")
  • Level AAA - Highest Level (meets all requirements)
  • If all AAA are met, then you probably met all AA and A
  • If all AA are met, then you probably met all A

Perceivable

  • Focuses on perceiving information and interface components
  • https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#perceivable
  • 1.1 - Text Alternative - Provide text alternatives for any non-text content so that it can be changed into other forms people need, such as large print, braille, speech, symbols or simpler language.
    • Non-text content can be images, charts, video, audio
  • 1.2 - Time Based Media - Provide alternatives for time-based media.
    • Time based media is video or audio and alternatives are like captions or transcripts.
  • 1.3 - Adaptable - Create content that can be presented in different ways (for example simpler layout) without losing information or structure.
    • Different ways implies the ability to customize like being able to change the font, color, etc.
  • 1.4 - Distinguishable - Make it easier for users to see and hear content including separating foreground from background.

Operable

  • User interface components and navigation must be operable.
  • https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#operable
  • 2.1 - Keyboard Accessible - Make all functionality available from a keyboard.
  • 2.2 - Enough Time - Provide users enough time to read and use content.
  • 2.3 - Seizure and Physical Reactions - Do not design content in a way that is known to cause seizures or physical reactions.
  • 2.4 - Navigable - Provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are.
  • 2.5 - Input Modalities - Make it easier for users to operate functionality through various inputs beyond keyboard.
    • Basically accessibility for inputs beyond keyboard like pointer gestures, motion,control labelling, touch targets and size, suppporting concurrent input mechanisms like touch adn speech, etc

Understandable

  • Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable.
  • https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#understandable
  • 3.1 - Readable - Make text content readable and understandable.
  • 3.2 - Predictable - Make Web pages appear and operate in predictable ways.
  • 3.3 - Input Assistance - Help users avoid and correct mistakes when interacting.

Robust

  • Content like UI must be robust enough that it can be interpreted by by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.
  • https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#robust
  • 4.1 - Compatible - Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies
Last update: July 11, 2020