If you run a website or digital service, you've probably heard the words "accessibility" and "WCAG" in the same sentence. That goes for government departments, NFPs, schools and businesses alike. You may have nodded and moved on. This article is for the moment you decide to stop nodding.
WCAG 2.2 is a standard for web accessibility that's used around the world. It isn't legislation (in Australia, the legal hook is the Disability Discrimination Act, and Australian Government services also have the Digital Service Standard), but it is a practical benchmark for what an accessible website actually looks like.
What is WCAG, and why should a non-technical person care?
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It's published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the international body that sets web standards. It exists because, for a lot of people, the web is really hard to use.
About 1 in 5 Australians (21.4%, or 5.5 million people) lived with disability in 2022, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Many more have temporary or situational impairments, like a broken arm, bright sunlight, a noisy room or a slow connection. Building for accessibility helps all of them. It also helps people whose first language isn't English, busy people skimming on their phones, and anyone under stress who needs information quickly.
What changed in version 2.2.
WCAG 2.2 was published in October 2023. The changes are fairly modest (nine new success criteria and one removed), but they cover things that matter. These are the ones we'd want any team to know about:
- Focus not obscured, minimum (2.4.11): When someone tabs to a control, it can't be completely hidden behind something else, like a sticky header or a cookie banner. This one is Level AA. The stricter focus appearance criterion (2.4.13), which sets a minimum size and contrast for the focus indicator, is Level AAA, so it's best practice rather than a requirement at AA.
- Target size minimum (2.5.8): Anything people tap or click must be at least 24×24 CSS pixels, unless there's enough space around it or another exception applies. Small tap targets, especially on mobile, are a real barrier for people with motor difficulties.
- Redundant entry (3.3.7): If you've already asked for something, don't make people type it in again in the same process. Fill it in for them, or let them pick their earlier answer.
- Accessible authentication, minimum (3.3.8): Don't make people remember or transcribe something to log in, like a password or a code, unless you offer another way in or let them use help such as a password manager or pasting. Blocking paste in a login field is the most common way sites fail this. Picking out objects or your own photos is still allowed at AA. The stricter 3.3.9 (AAA) rules those out too.
What happened to 2.1?
WCAG 2.1 is still valid. WCAG 2.2 is backward compatible, so if you meet 2.2, you meet 2.1. If you're already aiming for 2.1 AA, the gap to 2.2 AA is manageable and shouldn't mean a full rebuild. If you're starting fresh, 2.2 AA is the better target.
What this means for Australian organisations.
For Australian Government agencies, the Digital Service Standard asks them to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act and the latest version of WCAG. It doesn't name a version number, and the latest version is now 2.2. So those agencies should be targeting 2.2 AA. State and local government have their own policies, but 2.2 AA is a sensible target there too.
For private and non-government organisations, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 means you have to take reasonable steps toward accessibility. Saying "we didn't know WCAG 2.2 was the standard" won't hold up as a defence. The Australian Human Rights Commission's guidelines on digital goods and services say the Act applies online as it does in the physical world, and that providers should meet the latest published version of WCAG.
Where to start.
Start with an automated scan. Tools like axe or Lighthouse catch about 30-40% of issues on their own. Next, do a keyboard pass: tab through every page without touching the mouse. Then, if you can, test with a screen reader.
If that sounds like a lot, it's what we're here for. We help organisations work out where they stand against WCAG 2.2 AA. Then we help them get there in practical steps, at a pace that suits them, and we keep it all in plain English.