The four areas of accessibility stated in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are:
- Perceivable: Users must be able to perceive the content and functionality of the website or app using one or more of their senses. This means providing alternatives for non-text content, such as images, audio, and video, using captions, transcripts, and alt text. It also means ensuring that the content is presented in a way that is compatible with different devices and assistive technologies, such as screen readers, magnifiers, or braille displays.
- Operable: Users must be able to operate the website or app using different input methods, such as keyboard, mouse, touch, voice, or gesture. This means ensuring that the website or app is responsive, navigable, and compatible with different browsers and platforms. It also means providing mechanisms to help users find and access the content they need, such as menus, headings, links, search functions, and skip links.
- Understandable: Users must be able to understand the content and functionality of the website or app. This means ensuring that the content is clear, concise, and consistent, using plain language, appropriate grammar, and punctuation. It also means providing feedback, guidance, and error messages to help users complete tasks and avoid mistakes.
- Robust: Users must be able to access the website or app using current and future technologies. This means ensuring that the website or app is built using valid and standard code that follows web development best practices. It also means testing the website or app with different browsers, devices, and assistive technologies to identify and fix any compatibility issues.
These four areas are based on four design principles that describe what web content must be to be considered accessible. Each area has a number of guidelines and success criteria that specify how to meet the principles in practice. You can find more information about the WCAG on the W3C website.
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