WCAG

Abbreviation · Development

Definitions

  1. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, the international standard for making web content usable by people with disabilities, published by the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative. Version 1.0 appeared in 1999, WCAG 2.0 in 2008 (later adopted as ISO/IEC 40500), 2.1 in 2018 with mobile and low-vision criteria, and 2.2 in 2023. The guidelines rest on four principles, perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust, broken into testable success criteria at three conformance levels: A, AA, and AAA. Level AA is the usual target and includes requirements such as text alternatives for images, full keyboard operability, visible focus, captions for video, and a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text. WCAG itself is not law, but many laws point to it, including US Section 508, the European standard EN 301 549, and the European Accessibility Act. Automated checkers catch only a portion of failures, so manual and assistive-technology testing remain necessary.

    In plain English: The official international guidelines for making websites accessible to people with disabilities.

    Example: "We need WCAG 2.2 AA compliance for the government contract — that means 4.5:1 color contrast, keyboard navigation, and proper focus management."

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