New Guidelines for Web Accessibility: Is it Time to Update Your Web Design?

A set of new website accessibility recommendations may persuade some businesses to alter the layout and style of their website in 2024.?

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) published a new and improved version of the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) in October. The suggestions replace WCAG 2.1, published in 2018, as the recommended international standard for improving web accessibility.?The improvements adapt to web transformations.

WCAG 2.2 has nine new success criteria. Furthermore, the parsing section—which effectively demanded clean code—was eliminated. The majority of the updates address redundancy, functionality, navigability, intuitive websites, and the requirement for clear and helpful instructions.?

The W3C set targets to meet for web accessibility that consider current as well as future technologies. These guidelines are based on four principles that lay the groundwork for someone to access or use content. They are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. The W3C associates these principles with a set of testable criteria. These success criteria indicate what’s required to meet accessibility needs.? Conformance levels correspond with the criteria. They are A, AA, and AAA and respectively range from low to high in relevance.??

In this update, the W3C narrows in on operable and understandable web content. For instance, in order to clarify which element is the focal point on a webpage, the recommendations suggest making sure the focus indicator is displayed. The focus indicator may be a solid outline with a thick perimeter that frames a button or form field.

The new standards ask for an alternative to using a pointer to drag items because some users may have difficulty using the mouse button. Another suggestion is to add adequate space, contrast, and sizing for designated elements, such as buttons labeled 'Submit' and 'Cancel.' This instruction guarantees visibility, helps users make a correct selection, and ensures that the appropriate item is featured.?

They are recommendations, but they support federal laws like the American Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These legal frameworks help to facilitate accessibility.

In fact, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 laid the groundwork for the ADA. President Nixon signed the civil rights legislation into law fifty years ago. Lawmakers perceived discrimination against people with disabilities as systemic. The anti-discrimination laws at that time based on race and sex influenced the statute's language.

The Act stood out as an impressive bipartisan move and a monumental one since no other law like it existed. The lawmakers' efforts safeguard and increase the employment prospects of federal workers with disabilities. They enhanced vocational rehabilitation programs to promote further improvements in independent living. Also, upon several years of technological innovations, the lawmakers added provisions related to electronic office equipment and information and communication technologies.

WCAG 2.2 supports the availability of content and helps broaden reach. It offers businesses the opportunity to reassess the quality of their website. Before implementing WCAG 2.2, business leaders should first make sure they have an effective web accessibility strategy in place. They should make necessary updates, and determine what they may have missed from the previous version to ensure they reach all of their targeted audience segments.