In one of the largest updates around accessibility in recent years, the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) formally approved a new version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) in October 2023. 

This rollout means that WCAG 2.2 is now seen as the most up-to-date recommended international standard for web accessibility. 

WCAG 2.2 explains how to make digital services, websites, and apps cater to as many people as possible, including those with: 

• Visual impairments – such as blindness, low vision, or colour blindness. 
• Hearing impairments – such as deafness or being hard of hearing. 
• Mobility challenges – like those who struggle with using a mouse or keyboard. 
• Cognitive differences – including dyslexia, autism, or learning difficulties. 

According to W3C: “WCAG 2.2 covers a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible. 

“The guidelines address accessibility of web content on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. 

“The W3C advises the use of WCAG 2.2 to maximise future applicability of accessibility efforts and also encourages the use of this version when developing or updating Web accessibility policies.” 

Why is accessibility important? 

Digital accessibility is a vital consideration for businesses, especially as it promotes inclusivity, equality, and usability for all individuals.  

With ever-increasing awareness of inclusion and with increasingly diverse customer pools, accessibility is a core component when it comes to design. In short, if your customers can’t access your content or navigate your site the odds of conversion are slim. 

Making your digital products and services accessible is a proven way to expand your market. There are approximately 1.3 billion people with disabilities worldwide according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), and by ignoring their needs, you miss out on a significant portion of potential customers. 

To explain the financial implications of not adhering to WCAG 2.2, the United Nations (UN) factsheet on persons with disabilities states: In the UK, 75% of companies on the FTSE 100 Index do not meet basic levels of web accessibility, thus missing out on more than US$147 million in revenue.  

How Mando Group is embracing WCAG 2.2 

Frontend Developer and leading voice on accessibility at Mando Group, Grace Snow, shared her thoughts on accessibility and the new standards: 

“Those of us who’ve been working in the digital accessibility space for a while have long been awaiting the day when WCAG 2.2 reaches W3C Recommended status. But here at Mando Group, we started adopting it several months ago to ensure we stay at the forefront of emerging standards.  

“Building truly inclusive solutions is always going to be a challenge. Where WCAG helps is in codifying and measuring progress against testable criteria. The idea is that you embed the principles of universal design, as we do at Mando Group, and leverage the WCAG success criteria as your guide. This means that your websites will progressively become more accessible with each optimisation. 

“I’m already looking ahead to WCAG 3.0 now, which will be a whole new dawn for accessibility standards when it launches in a few years' time. Until then, WCAG 2.2 level AA will continue to be our guiding light.” 

If you’d like to hear more about how we can help you improve the inclusivity of your digital estate, why not get in touch with our team?