WCAG 2.2, published on October 5, 2023, adds nine success criteria to WCAG 2.1, six of them at Level A or AA, and removes one, 4.1.1 Parsing. Everything else is unchanged, so a site that meets 2.2 Level AA also meets 2.1 Level AA, apart from 4.1.1.
The six new Level A and AA criteria
- 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) (Level AA): When an item gets keyboard focus, it is at least partially visible.
- 2.5.7 Dragging Movements (Level AA): Anything done by dragging also has a simple pointer alternative.
- 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) (Level AA): Targets meet a minimum size or have enough spacing around them.
- 3.2.6 Consistent Help (Level A): Help is in the same place when it appears on multiple pages.
- 3.3.7 Redundant Entry (Level A): Don't ask for the same information twice in the same session.
- 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) (Level AA): Don't make people solve, recall or transcribe something to log in.
Three more are Level AAA: 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced), 2.4.13 Focus Appearance and 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced). Source: W3C, What's New in WCAG 2.2 (opens in a new tab).
4.1.1 Parsing, the criterion WCAG 2.2 removed
4.1.1 Parsing, which required well-formed markup such as unique ids and properly nested elements, is marked obsolete and removed in WCAG 2.2. W3C’s reason: assistive technology now relies on the browser to parse markup, so those problems either no longer exist or are covered by other criteria (Understanding 4.1.1 (opens in a new tab)).
Which version to aim for
Aim for WCAG 2.2 Level AA. The Justice Department’s 2024 rule (opens in a new tab) for state and local governments adopted 2.1 Level AA, and 2.2 Level AA includes every 2.1 Level AA criterion except 4.1.1, so meeting 2.2 meets both.
All 2.2 Level A and AA criteria, with what each requires and how to fix a failure.
Questions
Which WCAG version does US law require?
The ADA doesn't name one for businesses. The Justice Department's 2024 rule for state and local governments adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Meeting 2.2 Level AA covers 2.1 as well, apart from 4.1.1 Parsing, which 2.2 removed.
Why was 4.1.1 Parsing removed?
W3C says assistive technology no longer parses HTML itself and relies on the browser, so the problems 4.1.1 covered either no longer exist or are addressed by other criteria.
How many new success criteria are in WCAG 2.2?
Nine: 2.4.11, 2.4.12, 2.4.13, 2.5.7, 2.5.8, 3.2.6, 3.3.7, 3.3.8 and 3.3.9. Six are Level A or AA; 2.4.12, 2.4.13 and 3.3.9 are Level AAA.