WCAGcriteria

WCAGcriteria refers to the set of testable criteria used to determine conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Developed by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, WCAG criteria aim to make digital content accessible to people with disabilities and to the assistive technologies they use. The criteria are organized around four principles—Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (the POUR framework).

Within these principles, guidelines are translated into concrete success criteria at three levels of conformance: A, AA, and AAA. The success criteria cover topics such as providing text alternatives for non-text content, ensuring keyboard access, maintaining sufficient color contrast, and supplying captions and other alternatives for multimedia. WCAG 2.x is the most widely used family, with versions including 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2, which add new criteria to address evolving technologies and user needs.

Conformance is demonstrated by evaluating content against the applicable WCAG version and level. Assessments combine automated checks with manual testing and user testing with assistive technologies. Organizations typically publish conformance statements to communicate accessibility performance to users and regulators. While WCAG criteria are international standards, many jurisdictions reference them in law and policy to promote accessible digital services.