Executive Summary: What is it?
This resource covers the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 and 2.2 at Level AA. WCAG 2.2 is the latest W3C Recommendation (October 2023); WCAG 2.1 remains a Recommendation. It extends WCAG 2.1 (2018) by adding 9 new success criteria (2 at Level A, 4 at Level AA, 3 at Level AAA) focused on mobile interaction, cognitive accessibility, and authentication, while removing the obsolete 4.1.1 Parsing criterion. It remains organized around the four POUR principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Level AA is the level the laws and procurement rules below reference. EN 301 549 V4.1.1, published by CEN, CENELEC and ETSI in September 2026, incorporates the WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA criteria; the US ADA Title II rule for state and local governments (28 CFR 35.200) references WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
CFO / Business Impact: What does it cost/risk?
- Government & Public Sector Access: Public procurement rules reference WCAG: the US federal Section 508 standards incorporate WCAG 2.0 Level AA, and EU public bodies apply EN 301 549, whose V4.1.1 incorporates the WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA criteria. Each rule sets its own exceptions.
- ADA Exposure: In the US, the Department of Justice's guidance reads the ADA as requiring businesses open to the public to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities. For them, the Department of Justice sets no detailed technical standard and names WCAG as helpful guidance; for state and local governments, its Title II rule names WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Enterprise buyers may ask for an Accessibility Conformance Report (a completed VPAT), which is the vendor's own statement: there is no VPAT certification.
- EU Enforcement: The European Accessibility Act applies to products placed on the market, and to services provided to consumers, after 28 June 2025, e-commerce services among them.
Technical Reality: How does it work?
- POUR Criteria: Perceivable (alt text, captions, colour contrast ≥ 4.5:1), Operable (keyboard navigation, no seizure-inducing content), Understandable (labels, error correction), and Robust (ARIA markup, assistive technology compatibility).
- What Changed from 2.1: Six new criteria at Levels A and AA (plus three at AAA): Accessible Authentication (no cognitive puzzles for login), Dragging Movements (single-pointer alternatives for drag-and-drop), Target Size Minimum (24×24 CSS pixels for touch targets), Focus Not Obscured (sticky headers must not hide focused elements), Redundant Entry (Level A: no re-entering previously provided data), and Consistent Help (Level A: help mechanisms in consistent locations).
- Audit & Attestation: Conformance is claimed by the vendor, in an accessibility statement or an Accessibility Conformance Report (a completed Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, VPAT 2.x), sometimes based on a third-party audit. W3C does not verify claims, and there is no VPAT certification.
What the Label Means in a Solution Profile
WCAG is the W3C accessibility standard; this page covers versions 2.1 and 2.2 at Level AA. W3C does not verify claims and no official certification exists: vendors publish their own conformance claims, sometimes based on an outside audit. Each label names the version claimed and is tested against that version only: a 2.1 claim is not a 2.2 claim, since 2.2 adds nine criteria.
- Self-Hosted line: "WCAG 2.1 AA Ready" or "WCAG 2.2 AA Ready" means the project publishes a claim, for a current or still-supported release, that its own interface meets every Level A and AA criterion of that version, across full pages and complete processes.
- Managed service line: "WCAG 2.1 AA (Self-Assessed)" or "WCAG 2.2 AA (Self-Assessed)" means the vendor publishes such a claim, or an Accessibility Conformance Report that reports every Level A and AA criterion of that version as supported, for the service. The label always reads Self-Assessed, even when an outside firm did the testing, since no audit scheme exists.