Web accessibility is a hot topic of discussion among the web development fraternity, which has become a necessity for all. As per the compliance rules of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is essential for websites too as a public utility to be fully accessible to people with disabilities. For those who want a checklist for ensuring accessibility to your business websites, WCAG standards are the ideal reference to be made.
- WCAG standards – AccessiBe
WCAG or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines is the latest standards set by the W3C or World Wide Web Consortium to ensure accessibility of the websites. There are various criteria by the newest WCAG 2.1 guidelines in which the Level AA defines the standards of accessibility backed up by the WAI or World Accessibility Initiative. For developers and designers, it is essential to have a complete checklist of Level AA WCAG 2.1 – 2018. This checklist compiled by AccessiBe will help designers and developers of websites and the IT admins, content writers, and others who associate with a web development project. The items in this checklist apply to all the websites, mobile applications, software, and electronic documents in MS Word, PDF, images, etc.
- The checklist
WCAG guideline specifies four basic rules for accessibility as the web content and navigation should be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Let us explore the checklist for ensuring these four accessibility elements and, in turn, WCAG compliance.
Permeability checklist
- Images with straightforward and understandable alt text
- Video files with proper captions and audio transcripts
- All pages following good header tags
- Confirmed all ARIA landmarks and appropriate document structure
- Tabs are arranged in a good logical order
- Form fields are featured with applicable codes
- No usage of visual characteristics only to share information
- Text color versus background color is adequate as per the WCAG standards
- Text size can be scaled up or down for easy readability.
Operability compliance checklist
- All links, menus, and buttons can be accessed with a keyboard only
- Web pages include trackers for users to understand their exact position
- Features to updated info automatically
- Users can pause and advance to the content by themselves as they wish.
- Pages considering the needs of unique users
Understandability checklist
- Web page language is well defined.
- Controls, form fields, and links do not trigger any change in content.
- There is consistent navigation across the website.
- Forms consist of accessible, verifiable messages.
Robustness checklist
- Web pages feature valid and compliant HTML code
- All the web interfaces, dynamic content, drop-down lists, and slideshows Include ARIA markup.
AccessiBe is a web ADA and WCAG compliance accessibility supporter helping thousands of clients to ensure their website accessibility. ADA compliance and WCAG 2.0 standard compliance will provide legal protection for your website and bring in more results by reaching more potential users. You may try to follow the checklist, ensure that all your existing websites are made accessibility compliant, and follow the standards when building new websites.