WCAG 2.2 in plain terms
The four principles, the three levels, and which criteria the widget touches.
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The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are the technical baseline that almost every accessibility law points at. Version 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation in October 2023 and adds nine success criteria over 2.1.
The four principles
| Principle | In one sentence |
|---|---|
| Perceivable | People must be able to sense the content — see it, hear it, or feel it. |
| Operable | People must be able to drive the interface, whatever they drive it with. |
| Understandable | Content and behaviour must be predictable and explicable. |
| Robust | It must keep working across browsers and assistive technologies. |
A, AA, AAA
Level A is the floor, AA is what legislation asks for, and AAA is aspirational and not expected across a whole site. When someone says compliant without a level, they almost always mean 2.1 or 2.2 Level AA.
Criteria the widget supports
| Criterion | Level | How the widget contributes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | AA | High-contrast mode raises the effective ratio for visitors who need it. |
| 1.4.4 Resize Text | AA | Scales text by its own computed size, independent of browser zoom. |
| 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced) | AAA | Available to visitors who ask for it, without imposing it on everyone. |
| 1.4.8 Visual Presentation | AAA | Line height, alignment and reading masks are all part of this criterion. |
| 1.4.10 Reflow | AA | Only if your own layout reflows — the widget cannot rescue a fixed-width page. |
| 1.4.12 Text Spacing | AA | Applies the exact spacing values the criterion specifies, so you can see whether your layout survives them. |
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible | AA | Link highlighting strengthens focus and hover affordances. |
| 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) | AA | The large cursor helps aim; it does not enlarge your targets. |
New in 2.2
- 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured — sticky headers must not hide the focused element.
- 2.5.7 Dragging Movements — anything draggable needs a single-pointer alternative.
- 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) — 24 × 24 CSS pixels, with spacing exceptions.
- 3.2.6 Consistent Help — help mechanisms stay in the same relative place.
- 3.3.7 Redundant Entry — do not ask twice for the same information in one process.
- 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication — no cognitive function test without an alternative.