What’s new with WCAG 2.2?

What is WCAG?

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG ) are guidelines that help define how web content is made more accessible for people who have disabilities, and older people with altering abilities due to aging. WCAG provides a common explanation and definition for accessible content, a benchmark.

Web “content” can be described as the information on a web page, website, or web application, which includes natural information such as text, images, sounds, and/or code or markup that defines the structure, presentation, etc.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), is finalizing the new Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 (WCAG 2.2). The working draft and editors’ draft can be accessed on the W3C website. So, what are the new guidelines?

There are 9 new guidelines:

There are nine (9) new guidelines, spread between Levels A, AA, and AAA conformance. We’ve broken these down for you.

Level A (minimum requirement) :

1. 2.4.13 Page Break Navigation: allows all users to locate the same content; most helpful for print-to-digital formats like EPUB
2. 3.2.6 Consistent Help: provides Help information in the same location and format throughout an application. This supports users with cognitive disabilities who may struggle with interface changes throughout an application.
3. 3.3.7 Accessible Authentication: provides alternative ways to authenticate a user aside from cognitive tests. Have you seen the “Rob Ott” insurance commercial? Think of this as proving you aren’t a robot without having to know what an overpass is.
4. 3.3.8 Redundant Entry: auto-populate information to prevent re-entry. There are some noted exceptions, but the goal is to reduce cognitive load.

Level AA (You’re probably here) :

1. 2.4.11 Focus Appearance (Minimum): defines the minimum size and contrast for a user interface receiving a visual focus. This will make it easier for people to see where they are on the page.
2. 2.5.7 Dragging Movements: provide an alternate mode of operation to move elements. This supports users who may struggle to perform dragging in precise motions
3. 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum): defines minimum size and spacing for target elements (such as buttons). Allowing for more space between elements can prevent unforced errors on things like submitting a form.
4. 3.2.7 Visible Controls: provide user interface components to all users (no hiding!).

Level AAA :

1. 2.4.12 Focus Appearance (Enhanced): defines more stringent criteria for focus indicators

Need help with applying these to your learning content and platforms? Contact us to know more about our Accessibility Solutions. For more details, visit: https://www.magicedtech.com/blogs/what-to-expect-with-wcag-2-2/