Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the American With Disabilities Act?

The Americans with Disabilities Act or the ADA is a federal law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. In 2010, the Department of Justice published the ADA standards for accessible design, which include guidelines for making websites accessible to people with disabilities. 

WCAG Principles and Guidelines 

 

WCAG Principles

The four WCAG principles describe the “foundation necessary for anyone to access and use [content].” In order to make content accessible to anyone, the content must be:

  1. Perceivable — Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
    This means that users must be able to perceive the information being presented; it can't be invisible to all of their senses.
  2. Operable — User interface components and navigation must be operable.
    This means that users must be able to operate the interface; the interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform.
  3. Understandable — Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable.
    This means that users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface; the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding.
  4. Robust — Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.
    This means that users must be able to access the content as technologies advance; as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible.

You may see these four principles referenced using the acronym POUR.

WCAG Guidelines

WCAG 2.0 was published on December 11, 2008.

WCAG 2.1 was published on June 5, 2018, and an update was published on September  21, 2023.

WCAG 2.2 was published on October 5, 2023.

WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 are designed to be “backwards compatible”, which means content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to WCAG 2.1 and WCAG 2.0.

WCAG 2.0 has 12 guidelines.

WCAG 2.1 adds 1 guideline and 17 success criteria.

WCAG 2.2 adds 9 success criteria.

 

The WCAG  Guidelines provide logical groupings of the Success Criteria. For each grouping, the Guidelines outline what is necessary to make content accessible to as many people as possible, whatever their abilities.

WCAG Success Criteria

The Success Criteria describe specifically what outcomes content must achieve in order to be accessible. Each Success Criterion is designed to be objective, measurable, and testable.

 

According to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the success criterion levels are: Level A (lowest), Level AA (mid-range), and Level AAA (highest), representing the different levels of accessibility a website can achieve, with most organizations aiming for Level AA compliance.

 

Key points about WCAG success criterion levels:

Level A: Considered the minimum level of accessibility, essential for all websites.

Level AA: Represents a good standard of accessibility, considered achievable by most websites and often mandated by accessibility laws.

Level AAA: The highest level of accessibility, aiming for the most inclusive experience possible, but may not always be achievable depending on the content and context.

 

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What Are The Requirements To Make A Website ADA Compliant ?

 

Provide alternative text for non-text content: all images, videos, and audio files on your website should have alternative text descriptions that can be read by screen readers. This helps visually impaired users understand the content on your website. 

 

 

Use proper HTML structure: your website's HTML code should be properly structured to make it easy for screen readers to navigate. This includes using proper headings, lists, and other HTML elements.

 

 

Ensure keyboard accessibility: all functionality on your website should be accessible using a keyboard. This means that users should be able to navigate the website, select links, and interact with forms without the need of a mouse

 

 

 

Provide captions and transcripts for audio and video content: all audio and video content on your website should have captions or transcripts to make it accessible to users who are deaf or hard of hearing.


 

Use color contrast: the color contrast on your website should be high enough to make it easy for visually impaired users to read the content. This means using a dark color on a light background or a light color on a dark background

 

Make sure your website is compatible with existing access assistive technology: your website should be compatible with assistive technology, such as screen readers and voice recognition software.