What does WCAG stand for?

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. They are published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) through its Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). WCAG is the internationally recognised standard for web accessibility and is referenced by accessibility laws in the EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia, and many other countries.

What is the difference between WCAG 2.1 and 2.2?

WCAG 2.2, published on 5 October 2023, adds 9 new success criteria to WCAG 2.1 and removes one (4.1.1 Parsing). The new criteria focus on improved keyboard focus visibility, alternatives to dragging movements, minimum target sizes, consistent help placement, reduced redundant data entry, and accessible authentication. All WCAG 2.1 criteria are included in 2.2.

What level of WCAG compliance should I aim for?

Level AA. This is the standard target referenced by nearly all accessibility legislation, including the European Accessibility Act (via EN 301 549), the UK Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations, Section 508 in the US, and the Accessible Canada Act. Level A is the minimum, and Level AAA is aspirational — it is not typically expected or required.

Is WCAG 2.2 legally required?

Most current laws reference WCAG 2.1 AA (via EN 301 549 for EU/EEA). However, WCAG 2.2 is backwards-compatible — meeting 2.2 AA also satisfies 2.1 AA. The EU is expected to update EN 301 549 to reference WCAG 2.2 in a future revision. Organisations aiming for long-term compliance should target WCAG 2.2.

How many success criteria does WCAG 2.1 Level AA have?

WCAG 2.1 Level AA includes 50 success criteria: 25 at Level A and 25 at Level AA. WCAG 2.2 Level AA includes 55 success criteria (the 50 from 2.1, minus 4.1.1 Parsing which was removed, plus 6 new criteria at Levels A and AA).

WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 — A Practical Guide to the Standards

What is WCAG?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) through its Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). WCAG defines how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities — including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities.

WCAG is the global reference standard for web accessibility. It is cited in accessibility laws across dozens of countries, including:

EU/EEA: European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882) via EN 301 549
UK: Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018
US: Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and ADA case law
Canada: Accessible Canada Act
Australia: Disability Discrimination Act 1992

WCAG versions timeline

Version	Published	Key addition
WCAG 1.0	May 1999	First version — 14 guidelines
WCAG 2.0	December 2008	Technology-neutral, testable success criteria, POUR principles
WCAG 2.1	June 2018	Mobile accessibility, low vision, cognitive disabilities — 17 new criteria
WCAG 2.2	October 2023	Focus visibility, target size, authentication, dragging — 9 new criteria
WCAG 3.0	In development	New conformance model, broader scope — not yet a standard

Each new version builds on the previous one. WCAG 2.2 includes everything from 2.1, which includes everything from 2.0. Meeting a newer version means you also meet all earlier versions.

The four POUR principles

All WCAG success criteria are organised under four principles. Content must be:

1. Perceivable

Users must be able to perceive the information. This covers:

Text alternatives for non-text content (images, icons, charts)
Captions and transcripts for audio and video
Adaptable content that can be presented in different ways (e.g., simpler layout) without losing information
Distinguishable content — sufficient colour contrast, resizable text, no information conveyed by colour alone

2. Operable

Users must be able to use the interface. This covers:

Keyboard accessible — all functions work with a keyboard
Enough time — users can extend or disable time limits
No seizure-inducing content — nothing flashes more than 3 times per second
Navigable — clear page titles, logical focus order, descriptive headings and labels
Input modalities — support for touch, voice, and other input methods (added in WCAG 2.1)

3. Understandable

Users must be able to understand the content. This covers:

Readable — language of the page is declared; language changes within content are marked
Predictable — navigation is consistent; components behave consistently
Input assistance — errors are identified clearly; labels and instructions are provided; error suggestions are offered

4. Robust

Content must work with current and future technologies. This covers:

Compatible — valid markup; all components have accessible names, roles, and values exposed to assistive technologies
Status messages — changes communicated to assistive technologies without moving focus (added in WCAG 2.1)

Conformance levels

WCAG defines three conformance levels. Each builds on the previous:

Level	Criteria count (WCAG 2.1)	Criteria count (WCAG 2.2)	Description
A	25	26	Minimum accessibility — removes the most severe barriers
AA	25 (50 total)	29 (55 total)	Standard target — what laws require
AAA	28 (78 total)	29 (84 total)	Enhanced — aspirational, not a general compliance target

Level AA is your target. It is what the European Accessibility Act, the UK Equality Act, US Section 508, and virtually all other accessibility laws reference.

Level AAA is not typically required because some criteria cannot be met for all types of content (e.g., sign language interpretation for all audio content).

What's new in WCAG 2.2

WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023. It adds 9 new success criteria and removes one:

New Level A criterion

SC	Name	What it means
2.4.11	Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)	When an element gets keyboard focus, it must not be entirely hidden by other content (like a sticky header or cookie banner)

New Level AA criteria

SC	Name	What it means
2.4.12	Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced)	Focused elements must be fully visible — not just partially
2.5.7	Dragging Movements	Any action that uses dragging must have a single-pointer alternative (e.g., click-to-move instead of drag-and-drop)
2.5.8	Target Size (Minimum)	Interactive targets must be at least 24×24 CSS pixels, or have enough spacing around them
3.2.6	Consistent Help	Help mechanisms (contact info, chat, FAQ) must appear in the same relative order on every page
3.3.7	Redundant Entry	Information a user has already entered must be auto-populated or selectable — don't ask for the same data twice

New Level AAA criteria

SC	Name	What it means
3.3.8	Accessible Authentication (Minimum)	Don't require users to memorise, transcribe, or solve puzzles to log in — allow password managers, copy-paste, and alternative methods
3.3.9	Accessible Authentication (Enhanced)	Stricter version — no cognitive function test at all (no object recognition, no personal content)
2.4.13	Focus Appearance	Focus indicators must meet minimum size (2px outline or equivalent area) and contrast requirements

Removed criterion

SC	Name	Why removed
4.1.1	Parsing	Modern browsers and assistive technologies handle markup parsing errors well. The issues this criterion addressed are now covered by 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

WCAG 2.1 vs 2.2 — side by side

Aspect	WCAG 2.1	WCAG 2.2
Published	5 June 2018	5 October 2023
Total success criteria	78	86
Level A + AA criteria	50	55
Legal status (2025)	Referenced by most current laws (EU, UK, US)	Becoming the new standard; backwards-compatible
Mobile accessibility	Introduced criteria for touch, orientation, motion	Added target size minimum, dragging alternatives
Cognitive accessibility	Some coverage (e.g., timeouts)	Significantly expanded (authentication, redundant entry, consistent help)
Focus management	Basic (focus visible, focus order)	Enhanced (focus not obscured, focus appearance)

Key point: WCAG 2.2 is a strict superset of 2.1 (except for the removed 4.1.1). If you meet WCAG 2.2 AA, you automatically meet WCAG 2.1 AA. There is no downside to targeting 2.2.

How to achieve WCAG AA compliance

Step 1: Check where you stand

Run a free accessibility scan of your website to see your current WCAG compliance status. This identifies the most common automated-detectable failures in minutes.

Step 2: Fix template-level issues first

Most websites use templates — a header, footer, navigation, and page layout that repeat on every page. Issues in these templates multiply across your entire site. Fix them first for maximum impact.

Common template-level issues:

Missing skip navigation link
Insufficient contrast in your colour palette
Missing landmark roles (header, nav, main, footer)
Focus styles removed or invisible

Step 3: Fix content-level issues

After templates, address issues in your content:

Add meaningful alt text to informative images
Add captions to video content
Fix heading hierarchy (don't skip heading levels)
Make sure every form field has a visible, associated label

Step 4: Test with real assistive technologies

Automated tools are a starting point. After fixing their findings, test key user journeys with a screen reader and keyboard-only navigation. See the accessibility audit guide for step-by-step testing instructions.

Step 5: Monitor continuously

Accessibility is not a one-time fix. Every content update, design change, or code deployment can introduce new issues. Continuous monitoring with Askem catches regressions as they happen — before they affect users or violate regulations.