WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
The WCAG provides a step-by-step guide for creating web content accessibility for individuals and organizations. The guide aims to help developers build web content that is more accessible to all users, especially those with disabilities. The WCAG was developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
The guideline is set according to the four principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust.
The WCAG is intended mainly for:
- Web content and Web authoring tool developers
- Web accessibility evaluation tool developers
- Anyone else who wants a standard for web accessibility, including mobile accessibility.
There are different versions of WCAG: WCAG 2.0, WCAG 2.1, and WCAG 2.2. These new versions are intended to keep accessibility guidelines evolving as technologies progress. For example, the WCAG 2.1 is an improved version built on the previous WCAG 2.0 with new technologies and most recent accessibility guidelines.
WCAG 2.0 was published on December 18, 2008, and WCAG 2.1 was published on June 5, 2008. WCAG 2.2 is still in progress and might not be finalized until 2022.