WCAG 2.2 is Finally Here!

After 5 years of research, much deliberations, constant feedback, several drafts and edits, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 has arrived as a W3C recommendation. This version was made as a W3C recommendation on October 05, 2023 and calls for appreciations and celebrations as the inclusivity of the digital world has achieved one more milestone.

Key Highlights of WCAG 2.2

Following are the key highlights of WCAG 2.2:

1. WCAG 2.2 Addresses the specific needs of Users with cognitive and learning disabilities, users with low vision and users with disabilities on mobile devices
2. WCAG 2.2 is backward compatible
3. WCAG 2.2 Introduces 9 new Success criteria
4. Additional criteria are not grouped based on conformance level; rather they are appended at the end of the set of success criteria of each guideline
5. The success Criterion 4.1.1 – Parsing is deprecated
6. New sections are added in the Understanding SC pages to read about privacy and security contexts of the SCs.

New Success Criteria in WCAG 2.2

Following are the new success criteria introduced in WCAG 2.2. Note that they are organized based on numbers and not on their conformance level:

• 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) (AA)
• 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced) (AAA)
• 2.4.13 Focus Appearance (AAA)
• 2.5.7 Dragging Movements (AA)
• 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) (AA)
• 3.2.6 Consistent Help (A)
• 3.3.7 Redundant Entry (A)
• 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) (AA)
• 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced) (AAA)

There are two (A) criteria, four (AA) criteria and three (AAA) criteria that make up the nine additional success Criteria. Visit the Following page to view the success criteria by the conformance level: WCAG 2.2 Quick Reference. This page has filters for better understanding and readability.

Conclusion

WCAG 2.2 is more exciting and interesting as it brings new accessibility criteria. For example, this version has two new criteria to make the security authentication methods more accessible. Also, it reinforces responsible design that does not interrupt, obscure or present difficulties when introducing author-created content.

Let’s wait and watch how these guidelines are adopted across the industry; how the designers and developers innovate; how the security experts design implement inclusive authentication methods!

Stay tuned to our web site for more updates, blog posts on each new success criteria and interesting write-ups that bring forth perspectives on WCAG 2.2.