What Are the WCAG Standards?

Why Should You Care About WCAG?

About WCAG

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It is a set of guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to ensure that web content is accessible to people with disabilities, including those with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities. In addition, the guidelines provide a framework for web designers and developers to make their websites more inclusive and usable for everyone, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. The most recent version of the guidelines is WCAG 2.2, published in 2025.

The Importance of WCAG

Web design standards serve several functions

Accessibility: WCAG provides guidelines for making web content accessible to people with disabilities, ensuring everyone can access and use digital content. By following WCAG guidelines, you can create inclusive and usable websites for everyone.
Legal requirements: In many countries, there are legal requirements for websites to be accessible to people with disabilities. For example, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States requires businesses and organizations to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities.
User experience: WCAG guidelines can also improve the user experience for all users, not just those with disabilities. For example, using clear and concise language, providing captions for videos, and ensuring easy navigation can all improve the usability of a website.
Reputation: Creating accessible websites can improve the reputation of your business or organization, as it shows that you value diversity and inclusion.

Knowing WCAG is essential for creating inclusive, accessible, and user-friendly websites that comply with legal requirements and promote a positive reputation for our courses.

Dave Braunschweig, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons;

WebAIM

Web Accessibility in Mind

WebAIM is an organization that focuses on web accessibility for people with disabilities. The acronym stands for Web Accessibility In Mind. WebAIM provides resources, training, and consulting services to help organizations ensure their web content is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.

Some of the services and resources offered by WebAIM include:

Accessibility evaluations: WebAIM provides website evaluations to help organizations identify accessibility barriers and provide recommendations for improvement.
Training: WebAIM offers online training courses and webinars on web accessibility topics, such as WCAG guidelines, screen reader accessibility, and accessible document creation.
Resources: WebAIM offers a variety of free resources, including accessibility checklists, tutorials, and articles on web accessibility best practices.
Consulting: WebAIM offers consulting services to help organizations develop accessibility plans and implement accessibility improvements.

WebAIM is a valuable resource for organizations and individuals interested in making their web content accessible to people with disabilities.

Resources

For a complete list of resources, review the Resource Library page.

Last updated: 3/12/2025