Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are developed through the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), specifically by its Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). WCAG serves as the primary international standards for accessibility on the Web, aimed at making web content more accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities. The guidelines are structured around four key principles, often summarized as POUR: content must be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. These principles ensure that web content can be accessed and interpreted by users, as well as by assistive technologies. WCAG has gone through several iterations, with WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1 being the most widely adopted. Each version provides specific success criteria at three levels of conformance: A (lowest), AA, and AAA (highest). Compliance with these guidelines not only enhances accessibility for individuals with disabilities but also generally improves the overall user experience and interoperability for all users.