What does WCAG 2.0 mean, then really, I mean when you really get down to it? Well, as it has morphed into a much more usable set of documentation, it’s much more likely that it will make it through to being a formal Recommendation, there is now more of a need to understand what it’s about and what is required.

If you’ve not read my previous post on WCAG 2.0, you might want to start there. But for those people who’ve already read that, have read the review and just want to know more about it but can’t be bothered to read through the documentation themselves (lazy buggers), I present to you the approximation of the guidelines that is WCAG 2.0 Lite.

If you want to know what something means in more detail, or you want to know the exact phrasings and meanings, I’d suggest you read the official WCAG 2.0 documentation, but if you just want “the checkpoints” in a smidge over 1000 words, then here’s WCAG 2.0 Lite:

Priority A Checkpoints

• 1.1.1: Provide text alternatives for any non-text content
• 1.2.1: Provide captions for pre-recorded multimedia
• 1.2.2: Provide audio description or a full text alternative for pre-recorded multimedia
• 1.2.3: Ensure information and relationships can be determined automatically or are available in the text (aka use semantics)
• 1.3.2: Where sequence affects meaning, ensure the correct reading sequence can be determined automatically and that any interactive components correspond with this sequence (aka check your tab order)
• 1.3.3: Shape, size and location of components are not critical for operating and understanding content
• 1.4.1: Any information conveyed by colour is also evident without colour
• 1.4.2: Provide a mechanism to pause, turn off or mute any automatically-playing audio
• 2.1.1: All functions should be operable via a keyboard and be time independent (unless it’s a real time event, relates to time-based testing, or the path of the mouse must be observed)
• 2.2.1: Content time limits must be able to be switched off, increased by a factor of 10, extendable for an additional 20 seconds at least ten times unless it involves time based testing or real time events
• 2.3.1: Content doesn’t contains anything that flashes more than 3 times in one second or those flashes are below the general or red flash thresholds
• 2.4.1: A mechanism (usually “skip links”) is available to bypass blocks of content that occur on multiple pages
• 2.4.2: Web pages have descriptive titles
• 2.4.3: User controls on the page receive focus in an order that corresponds to the way they are presented
• 2.4.4: The purpose of each link can be determed from the link text and associated content (including titles and the rest of the sentence)
• 3.1.1: The default human language of the page is indicated in a way that can be automatically determined (e.g. using a language attribute appropriately)
• 3.2.1: Page content does not change when a component receives focus (including not creating pop-ups on page load)
• 3.2.2: Poage content does not change when setting a control unless this would be expected behaviour (e.g. a submit button) or the user has been advised this will happen
• 3.3.1: If an input error is detected, the item in error is identified and described using text
• 4.1.1: Content implemented using markup languages must have complete start and end tags with appropriate nesting, according to specification. Unless you plan on going through your code line by line to check, you might as well validate at this point (hurrah!)
• 4.1.2: Use standard HTML controls according to specification. If you’re not using these controls, then you need to ensure that the name and role of the component can be automatically determined, and that where the state, value or properties or the component may change, you can notify user agents — including assistive technologies — of these changes appropriately. If I was you, I’d just use standard HTML controls…

Level AA

• 1.3.4: Provide captions for live multimedia
• 1.3.5: Provide audio descriptions for pre-recorded multimedia
• 1.4.3: Meaningful text under 18 point (or 14 point bold) must have a colour contrast ratio of 5:1; larger text must have a contrast ratio of 3:1
• 1.4.4: Text can be resized between 50% and 200% of initial size without loss of content or function
• 2.2.2: Content does not blink for more than 3 seconds, or blinking can be switched off
• 2.2.3: Moving, blinking, scrolling or auto-updating content can be paused by the user
• 2.4.5: More than one method is available to locate content — provide at least two of navigation links, table or contents, site map or search facility
• 2.4.6: Headings and labels are descriptive
• 3.1.2: Indicate the language of any passages or phrases (not individual words, technical terms or proper names) in the content that differ from the default in a way that can be identified automatically (e.g. using a language attribute)
• 3.2.3: Navigation mechanisms that appear on multiple pages occur in the same relative order on each page
• 3.2.4: Components that provide the same function across a series of pages are used consistently across that series
• 3.3.2: If an input error is detected and suggestions can be made that do not jeapordize the purpose or security of the content, then those suggestions are made
• 3.3.3: Forms that cause legal committments or financial transactions can be checked at each stage before completion, confirmed in total before completion or reversed after completion
• 3.3.4: Labels or instructions are provided where the content requires user input

Level AAA

• 1.3.6: Provide sign language interpretation for multimedia
• 1.3.7: Provide enhanced audio descriptions for multimedia
• 1.3.8: Provide a full text alternative for multimedia including possible interactions
• 1.4.5: Meaningful text under 18 point (or 14 point bold) must have a colour contrast ratio of 7:1; larger text must have a contrast ratio of 5:1
• 1.4.6: For any audio that contains foreground speech as well as background noise, background noise must be at least 20 decibels quieter than foreground speech (except for occassional sound effects) or background noise can be switched off
• 1.4.7: Text can be resized between 50% and 200% of initial size without loss of content or function without horizontal scrolling
• 2.1.2: All fyunction can be operated by a keyboard interface without timing requirements, without exceptions
• 2.2.4: Timing is not an essential part of any activity except for non-interactive multimedia and real time events
• 2.2.5: Interruptions (such as content updates) can be postponed or suppressed except in cases of real emergency
• 2.2.6: When an authenticated session expires and a user logs in again, they can continue without loss of data
• 2.3.2: Content does not contain anything that flashes more than 3 times in one second
• 2.4.7: Provide information about a user’s current location within the site (site map, breadcrumb trail or indicate position on navigational menus)
• 2.4.8: The purpose of each link can be identified from the link text alone
• 2.4.9: Provide headings where content is broken into different sections
• 3.1.3: Provide a mechanism for identifying specific definitions of words or phrases used in a restricted or unusual way (including idioms and jargon)
• 3.1.4: Provide a mechanism for finding the expansion or meaning of abbreviations
• 3.1.5: Where reading ability beyond age 11-14 is required, provide supplemental content such as diagrams or text summaries to aid comprehension
• 3.1.6: If the meaning of a word is ambiguous without knowing the pronunciation, provide a mechanism to identify it
• 3.2.5: Changes of page content are initiated only on user request
• 3.3.5: Context-sensitive help is available
• 3.3.6: For any forms that require data to be submitted (not just legal/financial) provide a mechanism so that they can be checked at each stage before completion, confirmed in total before completion or reversed after completion