WCAG 2.2 is the global standard for making websites usable by people with disabilities. Legally required in Canada (ACA), the EU (EAA from June 2025), Ontario (AODA), and increasingly enforced in the US under ADA case law.
WCAG 2.2 is the global standard for making websites usable by people with disabilities. Legally required in Canada (ACA), the EU (EAA from June 2025), Ontario (AODA), and increasingly enforced in the US under ADA case law. Quick answer to "what is web accessibility wcag and is it required": see the breakdown above for full context.
**What WCAG actually is:** Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, currently version 2.2 (2023). Three conformance levels — A (basic), AA (standard target for most laws), and AAA (rarely required). Most accessibility laws reference WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 Level AA.
**Where it's legally required:** - **Canada (federal sites + federally regulated industries):** Accessible Canada Act, WCAG 2.1 AA target by 2040 with milestones now - **Ontario:** AODA requires WCAG 2.0 AA on websites of organizations with 50+ employees - **EU (any site selling to EU consumers):** European Accessibility Act enforceable since June 28, 2025 - **US:** No federal civil law mandates WCAG for private sites, but ADA Title III lawsuits have resulted in courts treating WCAG 2.1 AA as the de facto standard. ADA web lawsuits topped 4,500 in 2024.
**The 10 issues that cause 80% of accessibility lawsuits:** 1. Missing alt text on images 2. Form fields without labels 3. Insufficient color contrast (text vs background) 4. Buttons that aren't keyboard-accessible 5. Videos without captions 6. PDF forms that aren't tagged 7. Auto-playing audio or video 8. Pop-ups that can't be dismissed via keyboard 9. Links that say only "click here" or "read more" 10. Text rendered as an image
**How to audit:** Run WAVE (free, browser extension), axe DevTools (free Chrome extension), and Google Lighthouse > Accessibility for an automated baseline. Then do manual keyboard-only navigation testing — automated tools catch ~40% of issues, the rest require human judgment.
**What "accessibility overlays" don't fix:** widgets like AccessiBe and UserWay are explicitly not a legal defense — multiple US lawsuits have ruled they don't satisfy ADA compliance. Real fixes happen in your code. If you've searched "what is web accessibility wcag and is it required", this page covers the practical essentials. FAQ on "what is web accessibility wcag and is it required" — the short version is below the technical primer.
- **How much does a small business website cost in 2026?** — $1,500–$15,000 for most small businesses, depending on whether you go DIY, freelancer, or agency. - **Should I use WordPress, Webflow, or Shopify for my business website?** — Shopify if you sell products. Webflow if design matters most and you want a working CMS. WordPress if you need maximum flexibility or already have a team that knows it. - **What is Core Web Vitals and how do I fix it?** — Three Google performance metrics — LCP (load speed), INP (interactivity), and CLS (visual stability) — that affect your search rankings. - **How fast should my website load?** — Under 2.5 seconds for the main content (LCP) on mobile 4G. Anything slower and you lose roughly 7% of conversions for every additional second. FAQ on "what is web accessibility wcag and is it required" — the short version is below the technical primer.
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