Section 508 Standards and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Guidelines

The content for this module directly relates to the standards established by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Links to an external site. and the W3C WCAG 2.0 Guidelines Links to an external site..

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG)

In this module, we will take a close look at the accessibility standards that are important for content creation. Each content creation criteria is cross-referenced to the applicable Section 508 legislation and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG).

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 defines how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities, and older people with changing abilities due to aging. WCAG provides a provide common definition for accessible content, a benchmark.

A primary goal of WCAG 2 is to provide a shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally. The guidelines help to ensure people using assistive technologies will be able to successfully operate and understand the content.

The four main guiding principles of accessibility in WCAG 2.0 are:

Perceivable Links to an external site. - Content is communicated in a form people can process.
Operable Links to an external site. - Input and interaction methods, timing, and error recovery are user-friendly.
Understandable Links to an external site. - The meaning of content and functionality is clear to users.
Robust Links to an external site. - The design supports functionality across current and future technologies.

For more information about the Section 508 laws, please review the relevant content guides in Module 1.

References

Most of the content for this module comes from the following reliable, proven websites and organizations:

Estimated time on this page: 15 minutes