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The internet is an essential part of daily life now so it’s vital that websites work for everyone. That is the goal of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or ‘WCAG’.

When building a website you may find out you need to achieve ‘WCAG conformance’. To understand WCAG conformance, what it means and why it’s essential to delivering online services, we have developed this quick and simple explainer guide.

What is WCAG?

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It's like a rulebook for making websites easy to use by everyone. More specifically, it sets out standards for websites to make them inclusive to people with disabilities. Each success criteria in WCAG removes an access barrier for someone living with disability.

These rules are internationally recognised standards developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

Here are some examples of what WCAG standards cover:

  • Making sure text is clear and easy to read 
  • Providing ways for content to be understood if pictures or videos can’t be seen
  • Making websites work with screen readers and other assistive technology
  • Providing alternative ways for people to navigate a website if they can’t use a mouse or touchscreen

What is WCAG conformance?

Many governments around the world legislate WCAG standards to make online services accessible to everyone. This is because having a website that can’t be accessed by someone with a vision, hearing, cognitive, or mobility disability can violate local discrimination laws by preventing equal access.

Creating a website or app that is compliant with WCAG standards is known as ‘WCAG conformance’. There are three levels of conformance, each with different success criteria. They are:

Level A conformance

This is the minimum standard. Level A addresses basic considerations such as providing captions for prerecorded video content, providing alt-text for images, using contrasting colours for visibility and allowing keyboard-only navigation.  

Level AA conformance

Building on Level A, Level AA conformance is the next step up and is generally the most recommended. Many government agencies and private companies such as banks need to follow Level AA standards or above. It’s not accessible to everyone, but sets a higher standard for digital accessibility.

Level AA conformance improves navigation and makes it easier for people to find or focus on what they need. It also sets standards for video captions and audio descriptions.

Level AAA conformance

Level AAA conformance is the highest achievable standard of WCAG conformance. It sets extra criteria to achieve on top of Level A and Level AA, such as being optimised for assistive technology, providing a range of alternatives for all multimedia and simplifying complex information.

Is WCAG conformance a legal requirement?

Laws vary between regions across the world, but there are many discrimination and human rights policies that demand inclusivity from private companies and public organisations. These include:

WCAG is the most cited standard by governments and regulatory agencies around the world. As an internationally recognised ISO standard, WCAG conformance is the best way for any organisation to ensure they have met their legal obligations. It also provides a consistent experience for users, since websites reach a global audience.

Does WCAG apply to mobile native apps?

While WCAG was written primarily for website accessibility, it does include mobile access standards and many of the success criteria can be applied to mobile native apps. Mobile accessibility applies to portable and interactive devices such as:

  • Smartphones
  • Tablets
  • Digital TVs
  • Smart watches and other ‘wearables’
  • Smart appliances in and around the home such as an internet-enabled fridge or voice-controlled speaker

These devices can support many of the WCAG success criteria including colour contrast, keyboard and assistive technology compatibility, touchscreen use, and more that WCAG seeks to address.

Why is WCAG conformance important to businesses?

Digital products and services should work for everyone. The World Health Organisation estimates that over 1 in every 6 people lives with a permanent disability, or around 16% of the world’s population. W3’s digital accessibility standards ensures that everyone has fair access to online services and information.

Not conforming to WCAG standards puts you at risk of locking out 1 in every 6 customers. Plain and simple — it's not good business.

These statistics also don’t include how digital accessibility supports the wider community in other ways. This includes people with a temporary impairment such as a broken arm or migraine. Accessibility standards can also make access easier for people in a situation where information is harder to understand, such as trying to watch a video on a loud train.

By prioritising WCAG standards, you can take a proactive approach in creating assets that make everyone feel welcome when interacting with your brand. This can help to build your reputation as an inclusive business that cares about the experience of all customers.

For more information on the financial benefits and innovation opportunities that WCAG conformance presents, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has an article outlining the business case for digital accessibility.

How can I skill my staff to maintain WCAG standards?

Achieving WCAG conformance is one thing, but maintaining it is an ongoing process. The best way to uphold digital accessibility standards is to upskill your teams.

Leaders, content creators, designers and developers all play a part in prioritising digital accessibility. To cater to the knowledge and technical skills staff need, Vision Australia offers on-demand learning courses in subjects such as mastering alt-text and colour accessibility (with many more to come!).

Designed by global leaders in accessibility training and catered to all types of learning styles and skillsets, Vision Australia’s Digital Access Training is designed for the busy schedules of professional learners. Bite-sized video lessons allow people to upskill at their own pace and most courses can be completed in under an hour.

View the full course range at Digital Access Training

How can I make my digital assets more accessible?

Great question! Everyone has a role to play in delivering accessible user experiences. From content creators and graphic designers to engineers and executives. When you consider accessibility, inclusive outcomes become embedded in everything you produce.

The best place to start is to develop an understanding of digital accessibility and how it applies to your working role. Here are some ideas to get started:

Want to know more?

If you have any more questions, contact one of our accessibility experts via email or call us on 1300 367 055.