WCAG 2.0 for Designers: Beyond Screen Readers and Captions

Abstract

Abstract. The W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide guidance on making websites accessible to people with disabilities. WCAG 1.0 focused largely on coding requirements that enable websites to interoperate with assistive technologies used by people with disabilities. WCAG 2.0 addresses an environment where website complexity has increased significantly due to higher network bandwidth and the introduction of new interactive technologies. It places more constraints on the default look and feel of a website. Of the 38 Level A and AA provisions, about 50%, impact the website design. This paper reviews those requirements, examining the user needs that they are intended to support and highlighting example strategies for addressing those needs.

Implementing Recommendations From Web Accessibility Guidelines

“…First, note that all studies reported (except Pascual et al, 2014) were conducted before the release of WCAG 2.0 in 2008, being based on WCAG 1.0 as a reference standard. This time frame is important because WCAG 2.0 differs considerably from WCAG 1.0 (Reid & Snow-Weaver, 2008, 2009). Hence, research results based on WCAG 1.0 need to be treated with some caution.…”