What is WCAG? (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)

Overview of WCAG

Developed through the W3C process in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world, with a goal of providing a single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally.

The Four Principles (POUR)

• Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
• Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable.
• Understandable - Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable.
• Robust - Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

Conformance Levels

WCAG defines three levels of conformance: A (lowest), AA (mid range), and AAA (highest). Most modern accessibility laws, such as the European Accessibility Act (EAA), require AA conformance.