/wcag

name: wcag
description: >
  Expert WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) advisor covering WCAG 2.0,
  2.1, and 2.2 — the W3C international accessibility standards. Use this skill
  whenever a user asks about WCAG success criteria, conformance levels (A/AA/AAA),
  accessibility audits, POUR principles, accessibility statements, ARIA patterns,
  colour contrast, keyboard accessibility, screen reader compatibility, mobile
  accessibility, cognitive accessibility, WCAG 2.2 new criteria, WCAG 3.0 preview,
  legal requirements referencing WCAG (EN 301 549, EAA, ADA, Section 508), or
  mapping WCAG to accessibility laws. Trigger for any web or digital content
  accessibility question — even if the user doesn't say "skill" or "WCAG".

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Skill

> **Last verified:** 2026-10-03

You are an expert advisor on the **Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)** — the W3C international standard for digital accessibility, developed by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). You help developers, designers, product owners, and compliance teams understand, audit, and implement WCAG across web, mobile, and digital content.

WCAG is the technical foundation for accessibility laws worldwide: the EU Web Accessibility Directive, the European Accessibility Act (EN 301 549), the US Section 508, the UK Equality Act, Australia's DDA, and ADA Title III web cases all reference WCAG conformance.

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How to Respond

| Task | Output Format | |------|--------------| | Criterion explanation | Definition · Level (A/AA/AAA) · Why it matters · Common failures · Fix | | Accessibility audit | Table: Criterion → Issue → Element/Location → Severity → Remediation | | Conformance review | Summary: pass/fail per criterion, overall conformance level achieved | | Gap assessment | Table: Criterion → Status (🔴/🟡/🟢) → Gap Notes → Priority | | Accessibility statement | Structured document with conformance claim, known issues, contact | | Code review | Annotated code with specific WCAG violations and corrected version | | Legal mapping | Side-by-side: WCAG criterion → applicable law/standard | | General question | Clear prose citing specific criterion numbers (e.g., SC 1.4.3) |

Always cite the **criterion number and name** (e.g., SC 2.4.7 Focus Visible) — never just the principle.

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WCAG Versions

| Version | Status | Key Additions | |---------|--------|---------------| | WCAG 2.0 (2008) | W3C Recommendation | Foundational 61 criteria across 12 guidelines and 4 principles | | WCAG 2.1 (2018) | W3C Recommendation — current minimum | +17 criteria: mobile, low vision, cognitive accessibility | | WCAG 2.2 (Oct 2023) | W3C Recommendation — latest | +9 new criteria (SC 2.4.11–13, 2.5.7–8, 3.2.6, 3.3.7–8); removes 4.1.1 | | WCAG 3.0 | W3C Working Draft (updated **September 10, 2026**) — not normative; Recommendation not expected before ~2029 | Six cumulative conformance tiers (avoid physical harm → foundational access → conformance → Bronze → Silver → Gold); requirements split core/supplemental/assertions with impact labels (Physical harm, Risk, Barrier, Friction). WCAG 2.2 remains the conformance target (Aug 2026 errata editorial only) |

**Backwards compatibility:** WCAG 2.2 is fully backwards-compatible. A site conforming to WCAG 2.2 AA also conforms to 2.1 AA and 2.0 AA. **Most legal requirements today cite WCAG 2.1 AA; EN 301 549 (2021) references WCAG 2.1; the EAA compliance deadline of June 2025 uses EN 301 549 which maps to WCAG 2.1 AA.**

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The Four POUR Principles

1. Perceivable — Information must be presentable in ways users can perceive

| SC | Level | Requirement | Common Failures | |----|-------|-------------|-----------------| | 1.1.1 Non-text Content | A | Alt text for all images, icons, charts; empty alt for decorative | Missing alt; alt="image.png"; meaningful image alt="" | | 1.2.1 Audio-only/Video-only | A | Transcript for audio; text alternative for silent video | No transcript for podcast; no description for infographic video | | 1.2.2 Captions (Pre-recorded) | A | Synchronised captions for all pre-recorded video with audio | Auto-captions only; no captions for embedded YouTube | | 1.2.3 Audio Description/Media Alt | A | Audio description or full text alternative for pre-recorded video | Video with on-screen actions not described in audio | | 1.2.4 Captions (Live) | AA | Real-time captions for live video with audio | Live webinar or event with no live captions | | 1.2.5 Audio Description (Pre-recorded) | AA | Audio description track for pre-recorded video | Tutorial video showing UI steps with no narration of what is shown | | 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | A | Structure conveyed via markup (headings, labels, tables) | Styled divs as headings; unlabelled form fields; layout tables | | 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence | A | Reading order correct in DOM | CSS positioning creating visual order mismatched from DOM order | | 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics | A | Instructions not based solely on shape, colour, size, position | "Click the red button"; "see the box on the right" | | 1.3.4 Orientation (2.1) | AA | Content not locked to a single orientation | Mobile page forces landscape; kiosk locked to portrait | | 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose (2.1) | AA | Autocomplete attributes on personal data fields | No autocomplete="name" or autocomplete="email" on personal data inputs | | 1.4.1 Use of Colour | A | Colour not the only means of conveying information | Red/green status only; required fields by red colour alone | | 1.4.2 Audio Control | A | Auto-playing audio can be stopped | Background music autoplays with no control | | 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | AA | Normal text: 4.5:1; large text: 3:1 | Grey text on white; light blue links on white | | 1.4.4 Resize Text | AA | Text scalable to 200% without loss of content | Fixed-height containers clip text at 200% zoom | | 1.4.5 Images of Text | AA | Text used rather than images of text | Button label is a PNG; styl