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WAI: Strategies, guidelines, resources to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities

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   1. »Web Content (WCAG)
      • WCAG 2.0 technical
        1. How to Meet (Quick Reference)
        2. WCAG 2.0
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      • WCAG 2.0 educational
        1. The WCAG Documents
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      • Transition to 2.0
        1. How 2.0 Differs from 1.0
        2. Comparison of 1.0 to 2.0
        3. Update Your Website
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        1. Submitting Techniques
        2. Commenting on WCAG
      • More WCAG 2.0 docs
      • WCAG 1.0 documents
   2. Authoring Tool (ATAG)
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   4. Evaluation Language (EARL)
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3. Managing Accessibility
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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview

Quick links: How to Meet WCAG 2.0 (Quick Reference), WCAG 2.0 Technical Specification

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) documents explain how to make Web content accessible to people with disabilities. Web "content" generally refers to the information in a Web page or Web application, including text, images, forms, sounds, and such.

WCAG is part of a series of accessibility guidelines, including the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) and the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG). Essential Components of Web Accessibility explains the relationship between the different guidelines.

Who WCAG is for

WCAG is primarily intended for:

• Web content developers (page authors, site designers, etc.)
• Web authoring tool developers
• Web accessibility evaluation tool developers
• Others who want or need a technical standard for Web accessibility

WCAG and related resources are also intended to meet the needs of many different audiences, including people who are new to Web accessibility, policy makers, managers, and others.

WCAG Versions: 1.0 and 2.0

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 was published in May 1999. WCAG 2.0 was published on 11 December 2008. WCAG 2.0 applies broadly to more advanced technologies; is easier to use and understand; and is more precisely testable with automated testing and human evaluation.

W3C WAI recommends using WCAG 2.0, instead of WCAG 1.0.

Most Web sites that conform to WCAG 1.0 will not require significant changes in order to conform to WCAG 2.0, and some may not need any changes. To help you move to WCAG 2.0, WAI is developing:

• How WCAG 2.0 Differs from WCAG 1.0
• Comparison of WCAG 1.0 Checkpoints to WCAG 2.0
• How to Update Your Web Site from WCAG 1.0 to WCAG 2.0
• Guidance on transitioning Web Accessibility Policies to WCAG 2.0

What is in WCAG 2.0

WCAG 2.0 has 12 guidelines that are organized under 4 principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. For each guideline, there are testable success criteria, which are at three levels: A, AA, and AAA.

For a short summary of the WCAG 2.0 guidelines, see WCAG 2.0 at a Glance.

Most people will use the supporting materials when developing Web content and Web tools, instead of the actual technical standards document. The WCAG 2.0 supporting technical materials include:

• How to Meet WCAG 2.0: A customizable quick reference to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 requirements (success criteria) and techniques
• Understanding WCAG 2.0 has additional guidance on learning and implementing WCAG 2.0 for people who want to understand the guidelines and success criteria more thoroughly.
• Techniques for WCAG 2.0 gives you specific details on how to develop accessible Web content, such as HTML code examples.

For more details on how these document are related and how they are linked, see The WCAG 2.0 Documents.

The best place to start working with WCAG 2.0 How to Meet WCAG 2.0 (Quick Reference).

Additional Support Material

Educational material related to WCAG 2.0 is listed in the navigation area of this page.

WAI is planning additional material to help Web developers who are not accessibility experts develop accessible Web content that conforms to WCAG 2.0. We may develop "Application Notes" (working title) to provide guidance for specific topics, such as images, links, or tables. For example, an Application Note on forms would start with simple examples and include the WCAG 2.0 success criteria, techniques, and strategies for developing accessible forms.

WAI plans to update Understanding WCAG 2.0 documents and Techniques for WCAG 2.0 periodically. We welcome comments and submission of new techniques.

Technical document format

WCAG follows the W3C format for technical specifications, which includes several sections at the beginning: links to different versions, editors, copyright, abstract, and status with the link to errata and the email address for comments. Most WAI specifications have a link at the top to the Table of Contents.

Who develops WCAG

WCAG technical documents are developed by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (WCAG WG), which is part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). For more information about the working group, see the WCAG WG page.

How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process: Milestones and Opportunities to Contribute describes formal periods for public review. Opportunities for review and comment of WAI documents in progress are announced on the WAI home page and WAI Interest Group mailing list. There is a form for comments on existing WCAG 2.0 documents, and a form for submission of new techniques.

Opportunities for contributing to WCAG and other WAI work are introduced in Participating in WAI.

Document Information

Version: 2.0 (Up to date as of December 2008)
Editor: Shawn Lawton Henry. Developed with the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG) and the Web Content Accessibility Working Group (WCAG WG).

[Contacting WAI] Feedback welcome to wai-eo-editors@w3.org (a publicly archived list).

File (not content) last updated on $Date: 2008/12/18 14:23:54 $ by $Author: shawn $