Web Accessibility: Why WCAG Compliance Matters for Everyone

Website accessibility is not just about compliance. It is about ensuring everyone can use your website, including the 61 million Americans with disabilities. Beyond being the right thing to do, accessibility is increasingly a legal requirement.

What is WCAG?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are international standards for web accessibility. The current standard is WCAG 2.1, with WCAG 2.2 becoming more common. Compliance levels include A, AA (most commonly required), and AAA.

The Four Principles

WCAG is built on four principles (POUR):

1. Perceivable

Information must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive:

• Alternative text for images
• Captions for videos
• Sufficient color contrast
• Resizable text

2. Operable

Users must be able to operate the interface:

• Keyboard navigation
• Sufficient time to read content
• No seizure-inducing content
• Clear navigation

3. Understandable

Content must be understandable:

• Readable text
• Predictable functionality
• Input assistance

4. Robust

Content must work with assistive technologies:

• Valid HTML
• Proper ARIA labels
• Screen reader compatibility

Legal Requirements

The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) increasingly applies to websites. Lawsuits over inaccessible websites have increased dramatically. Compliance protects your business from legal risk.

Business Benefits

Beyond legal compliance, accessibility:

• Expands your potential audience
• Improves SEO (overlapping best practices)
• Enhances user experience for everyone
• Demonstrates social responsibility

Get Compliant

AppWT builds all websites with WCAG compliance in mind. We can also audit and remediate existing sites. Contact us for an accessibility assessment.

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