Welcome to WCAG 2.1

WCAG 2.1 Guidelines

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has updated the Web Content Accessibility Guideline and added 17 new criteria to what was established in WCAG 2.0.  Version 2.1 addresses new technologies (mobile in particular) and other digital barriers that have become better understood since version 2.0 was published in 2008.

This comes at a time when Web Accessibility has become a very hot button issue in the US, as serial plaintiffs and law firms are aggressively going after businesses and institutions of all shapes and sizes over claims that their websites fail to satisfy Title iii of the American Disabilities Act, or Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. WCAG 2.0 has served as the de facto standard for each.

WCAG 2.1 adds 17 new criteria to 2.0. These updates address new technologies that have emerged since 2008 – namely mobile. Vision issues such as low vision and color blindness are addressed, as are cognitive functions that affect people with attention deficit disorder, or age related challenges.

What does this mean for businesses, schools, and institutions?

If your website is relatively new or your not ready to redesign, then you’ll need to audit your website and remediate based on what that audit reveals. Here, its important to avoid anything that appears to be quick, cheap, or easy. There are many false claims and weak products out there that will not protect you from legal exposure.

If you are in either process, setting the goal to WCAG 2.1 won’t add to your cost dramatically, and will set you up for compliance for years to come, so go for it. You’ll find that good accessibility equals good usability for all (and good SEO too).

There are three versions of WCAG: 1.0, 2.0 and 2.1. Version 2.0 replaced version 1.0, while 2.1 exists as an extension of 2.0. There are also three levels of conformance: A (bare minimum level of accessibility), AA (target level of accessibility meeting legal requirements) and AAA (exceeds accessibility requirements).

The WCAG 2.1 guidelines ensure your web content is:

• Perceivable: Content is presented in an easily perceivable manner. Examples include offering alternatives to text, such as audio alternatives or assistive technology, that allow sight-impaired individuals to perceive your website’s content.
• Operable: Navigation is easy to operate. Examples include offering keyboard accessibilities so users with disabilities can easily navigate your website and access content.
• Understandable: Content is easy to understand. Examples include making content readable and predictable, and offering input assistance if needed.
• Robust: Your website’s content can be interpreted by various devices and platforms. For example, you want to ensure content is compatible with user agents like assistive technologies.

Meeting these standards improves the accessibility of your website to individuals with vision or hearing impairments, or those with cognitive, language, or learning disabilities. If you follow these guidelines to at least level AA, ADA compliance shouldn’t be an issue for your company.

Disclaimer: This post and the headline is my opinion. I provide facts throughout to inform that opinion. I am also not a lawyer and this post does not constitute legal advice.