WCAG — the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines — is the internationally recognized technical standard for web accessibility. Published by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, WCAG defines what it means for web content to be accessible to people with disabilities, including those who are blind, deaf, have motor impairments, or have cognitive disabilities.
Why WCAG 2.2?
WCAG 2.2 was published in October 2023 as the successor to WCAG 2.1. It adds nine new success criteria on top of the 78 criteria in WCAG 2.1, addressing gaps in mobile accessibility, cognitive accessibility, and focus management. The "2.2" designation means it is fully backward-compatible — if your site meets WCAG 2.1 AA, you only need to address the new criteria to reach 2.2 AA.
The 9 new success criteria in WCAG 2.2
The new criteria focus on three broad areas:
- 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) — focused components must not be entirely hidden by sticky headers or overlays.
- 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced) — a stricter version requiring no part of the focused component is hidden.
- 2.4.13 Focus Appearance — focused components must meet a minimum size and contrast ratio for the focus indicator.
- 2.5.7 Dragging Movements — any drag action must have a single-pointer alternative.
- 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) — interactive targets must be at least 24x24 CSS pixels.
- 3.2.6 Consistent Help — help mechanisms must appear in the same relative location across pages.
- 3.3.7 Redundant Entry — users should not be asked to re-enter information they already provided in the same session.
- 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) — authentication must not require a cognitive function test unless an alternative is provided.
- 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced) — no cognitive function tests at all in authentication.
Note
WCAG 4.1.1 Parsing was removed in WCAG 2.2 because modern browsers handle malformed HTML gracefully and assistive technologies no longer rely on valid markup for parsing.
What level should you target?
For most organizations, WCAG 2.2 Level AA is the right target. It is the level referenced in ADA settlements, Section 508 requirements, and the EU Accessibility Act. Level AAA is aspirational — many AAA criteria cannot be met for all content — and Level A alone is insufficient for legal compliance.