WCAG 3.0 and the Future of Accessibility Standards
WCAG 3.0 and the Future of Accessibility Standards
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To enhance digital accessibility for individuals with disabilities, the World Wide Web Consortium created the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). A new version, WCAG 3.0, will be released in the coming years. Below, we’ll explore what the new guidelines include and how they will improve accessibility for the disability community.
Originally Published August 15, 2022
Creating websites that are accessible and usable by all users — particularly those with disabilities — remains both a challenge and an opportunity for today’s businesses. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have always been a cornerstone in creating more accessible experiences.
To keep up with rapidly changing technologies and further improve accessibility, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) continuously updates the guidelines. The latest update — WCAG 3.0 — has long been in the works and is set to be released in a few years.
Below, we’ll explain what WCAG 3.0 will mean for businesses and content creators, examine some new guidelines coming to version 3.0, and discuss when it will be released.
But first, a quick refresher on WCAG.
What is WCAG?
WCAG is a technical document published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) — which also creates protocols and guidelines for HTML and CSS — that includes clear guidelines on how to make web content accessible to all users, particularly those with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities.
WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 are made up of success criteria, which are testable statements that describe accessible practices. Each success criterion falls under one of the four foundational principles of WCAG (commonly known as the POUR principles):
- Perceivable: Information and user interface (UI) components must be presentable and perceivable to all users. Nothing should be “invisible” to any of their senses. For example, text alternatives must be provided for all non-text content. Content should also be easy for users to see and hear.
- Operable: Web interface and navigation elements, such as controls or buttons, should be operable in a variety of ways to ensure people with different abilities can use them. For example, making web elements accessible for keyboard users or giving enough time for users to read and use content.
- Understandable: All web content or user interfaces should be easy to understand by all, regardless of their abilities. For example, someone should be able to access your site and understand how to use it.
- Robust: Content should be robust enough to be interpreted by a wide range of users, including those who use assistive technologies such as screen readers. Additionally, content should remain accessible even as technologies or user needs evolve.
WCAG success criteria are also organized by three conformance levels: Level A (the least strict and most essential criteria), Level AA, and Level AAA (the most strict standards). Websites that conform with all Level A and Level AA success criteria are considered accessible for most users with disabilities. You can use our comprehensive WCAG checklist to get a better idea of which success criteria you need to follow.
Key Differences in WCAG 3.0
Each version of WCAG is designed to further digital accessibility for users with disabilities by building on the previous version’s success criteria. As we mentioned above, updates to the guidelines are made in response to evolving technologies and user needs. And with new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) becoming more common, an update is needed to ensure the latest digital platforms are accessible to individuals with disabilities.
If you’ve felt overwhelmed or confused by previous versions of WCAG, here’s the good news: WCAG 3.0 is expected to be much easier to understand. The new version of WCAG (which has not yet been released) includes a new structure as well as simplified conformance levels.
Here’s a closer look into some of the differences between WCAG 3.0 and WCAG 2.0.
New Structure
One of the primary goals for WCAG 3.0 is to make it easier to understand for digital content creators. To accomplish this, the W3C changed the structure of the guidelines, refocusing them to provide solutions to accessibility problems.
Additionally, the guidelines are much more granular than those in WCAG 2.X — meaning they’re more focused on the desired result rather than the technical means for achieving them. While this does make the guidelines more simple, it does mean there will be more guidelines to meet.
Success Criteria are now Outcomes
A major change of WCAG 3.0 is transitioning away from the term ‘success criteria’ and toward ‘outcome’. The change is largely due to wanting to provide digital content creators with “verifiable statements” to work towards rather than general statements.
For example, one of the proposed outcomes, “Single Idea” proposes that “Each segment of text [such as sentence, paragraph, bullet] presents one concept. More simply, the outcome recommends that longer text that covers multiple topics is broken up into smaller paragraphs with each one covering a different topic. While this is especially useful for those with short-term memory challenges or ADHD, it also improves reading comprehension for users.
Wording accessibility requirements in this way gives content creators a clear goal to work towards, simplifying the path to accessibility.
New Accessibility Grading System
Once released, WCAG 3.0 will replace the A/AA/AAA grading with Bronze, Silver, and Gold conformance levels. The tiered grading system aims to give more flexibility and clarity in how accessibility is assessed and achieved. These levels also give organizations a structured way to set and achieve accessibility goals, allowing them to progressively enhance web offerings and improve accessibility.
Broader Scope
Another goal of WCAG 3.0 is to broaden the scope of accessibility and create web content that is flexible enough to “address different types of web content, apps, tools, and organizations.” WCAG 3.0 will contain guidelines that go beyond just web content and include new and emerging technologies, including virtual reality, augmented reality, and other interactive platforms. The expansion will help address the accessibility challenges or gaps posed by these advanced technologies and ensure individuals with disabilities can still use them.
When Will W3C Release WCAG 3.0?
With all the new changes coming to WCAG 2.X, you’re likely wondering when the new changes will be introduced. As of the writing of this post, WCAG 3.0 is a working draft, meaning the W3C is still in the exploratory phases of writing and the outcomes are likely to change. Additionally, WCAG 3.0 is not an official recommendation and is likely to remain in draft form for the foreseeable future. The working draft was published on May 16, 2024.
While the W3C had planned to release WCAG 3.0 in 2023, it’s worth noting that they also planned to officially recommend WCAG 2.2 in 2021. Due to a number of delays, WCAG 2.2 guidelines weren’t released until October 2023.
The W3C has stated “WCAG 3 is not expected to be a completed W3C standard for several more years.” This is largely due to the W3C’s long, intensive process for developing new standards. That process does serve an important purpose, however: WCAG must be applicable to all digital content, and every guideline needs to be achievable.
Should I Follow WCAG 3 or WCAG 2?
You don’t need to start reviewing WCAG 3.0 right away. As of now, businesses should conform to the current WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, the W3C — as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — official recommendation.
Some of the guidelines in WCAG 3.0 will likely change before its publication, but it will likely contain all of the success criteria from each version of WCAG 2.X. It will also contain content from two other important accessibility standards:
- The User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (UAAG), which contains guidelines for web browsers, media players, and other applications that render web content.
- The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG), which contains guidelines for HTML editors and other authoring software.
Part of the goal of WCAG 3.0 is to create a single, wide-ranging document that addresses all aspects of digital accessibility. However, WCAG 3.0 will not radically change the accessibility requirements for most content creators.
It’s also important to note that WCAG 3.0 will not deprecate earlier standards. That means that WCAG 3.0 wont’ make WCAG 2.X outdated — the W3C will continue to recommend WCAG 2.X after the official publication of WCAG 3.0.
Here’s the bottom line: If you test your digital content against WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria and you meet it, you’re providing an accessible experience for individuals with disabilities and complying with accessibility laws.
Get Ready for WCAG 3.0 with AudioEye
An accessible website is not just a nice-to-have — it’s a necessity for reaching over 1 billion people worldwide living with disabilities. Though WCAG 3.0 is still a few years from being an official requirement, it’s never too early to start preparing. Doing so can streamline your path to compliance and enhance the user experience for everyone.
To help you prepare for the WCAG 3.0 release and ensure a seamless transition, there’s AudioEye. Our Automated Accessibility Platform enables you to build accessibility into every part of your website. We start with a free accessibility scan that identifies common accessibility issues. Those results are supplemented with expert testing overseen by our team of human experts who find and fix more complex accessibility issues.
With these real-time insights and support from our team, you can proactively address accessibility barriers and create more accessible, inclusive content.
Ready to get started? Enter the URL of your digital content into our free scanner below.
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