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[DRAFT UPDATES] WCAG 2 FAQ

Note: This document contains unapproved draft ideas and should not be referenced or quoted under any circumstances.
The current document is available at www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/wcag2faq
$Date: 2007/07/27 16:39:09 $

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is developed through the W3C process in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world, with a goal of proving a single shared standard for Web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally. WCAG 2.0 is being developed to apply to more advanced Web technologies, and be more precisely testable with a combination of automated testing and human evaluation. WAI develops additional material for people with different levels of accessibility knowledge.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions (FAQ) about WCAG 2.0. When we add more information to this page, we'll send an e-mail to the WAI IG list and an update to the WAI Highlights RSS feed to let you know. ~Shawn Henry, W3C WAI, updated 27 July 2007

Where should I start?
What are the different WCAG 2.0 documents?

The best place to start learning about WCAG 2.0 and to get the latest information on WCAG 2.0 is the Overview of WCAG 2.0 Documents. The Overview provides an important foundation for understanding the different WCAG 2.0 documents.

Here's a little more perspective on the different documents. When Web content and Web software developers were using WCAG 1.0, they had many questions on how to implement it, how to evaluate for it, and the reasons behind its requirements. WAI wanted to provide this information with WCAG 2.0, and since those details don't fit well in a technical standard, they are in the supporting documents. Those supporting documents are advisory; only the WCAG 2.0 guidelines document itself is intended to be a Web standard.

The WCAG 2.0 guidelines document is fairly short. The WCAG 2.0 supporting documents are currently long W3C technical reports. WAI plans to provide other views of the WCAG 2.0 documents that will be easier to use in different situations. We're also planning additional material to help Web developers who are not accessibility experts to develop accessible Web content.

When will WCAG 2.0 be done?
What is the current status of WCAG 2.0?

The short answers are:

WCAG is developed under the W3C Process and in order to better understand the short answers above, you need to know a little about the W3C Process. You can get that from How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process.

The W3C Process helps ensure that WCAG 2.0 reflects the diverse needs of a broad community, including industry, disability organizations, accessibility researchers, government, and others interested in Web accessibility. WCAG is developed by the WCAG Working Group, which includes many different perspectives. It takes time for the Working Group to research and discuss issues, and develop consensus on solutions (that is, everyone agreeing or accepting the decision).

Additionally, the public is invited to comment on WCAG drafts, and it takes time to address public comments. The WCAG Working Group has addressed thousands of public comments on WCAG 2.0 Working Drafts, which is not unusual for W3C standards development work.

17 May 2007 Working Drafts

On 17 May 2007 the WCAG Working Group published updated Working Drafts of WCAG 2.0 and the supporting documents. These updated drafts provided an opportunity for the public to review how the comments from the previous review have been addressed. The status of the 17 May 2007 Drafts follows:

Update July 2007

The WCAG Working Group received many constructive comments on the 17 May 2007 Drafts. They separated the comments into about 450 issues, ranging from minor edits to technical issues. In the first two weeks of July, the Working Group had eight half-day worksessions where they addressed about 150 of those issues and started work on another 100. It will likely take 3 to 4 months to address all of the issues and prepare the next draft.

The Working Group will respond to each comment. Once the comments have been addressed, the Working Group plans to publish a second WCAG 2.0 Last Call Working Draft to provide for review of the completed edits before moving on to the next stages. The next stages are described in How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process.

How is WCAG 2.0 different from WCAG 1.0?
How is it going to impact my Web development?

Most Web sites that conform to WCAG 1.0 should not require significant changes in order to conform to WCAG 2.0. The fundamental issues of Web accessibility are the same, though there are some differences in the requirements between WCAG 1.0 and WCAG 2.0.

WCAG 2.0 is being developed to apply to more advanced Web technologies and be more precisely testable than WCAG 1.0. In order to do this, the WCAG 2.0 documents use a slightly different approach, for example, the WCAG 2.0 Guidelines and Success Criteria are technology-independent and specific guidance is provided in the Techniques.

To learn more, read "How WCAG 2.0 Drafts Differ from WCAG 1.0" in Overview of WCAG 2.0 Documents. WAI is working on additional resources—such as an updated version of the previous Comparison of WCAG 1.0 Checkpoints to WCAG 2.0—that provide more specific guidance on transitioning your Web sites and Web accessibility policies from WCAG 1.0 to WCAG 2.0.

When should I start using WCAG 2.0?

WCAG 1.0 is the stable and referenceable version. A complete Working Draft of WCAG 2.0 is available, yet some aspects of it will change based on comments received at each review stage. Some people may choose to wait to start using WCAG 2.0 until the documents are more stable, and additional views and supporting material are available.

Some organizations have already started using WCAG 2.0. There are many benefits to using WCAG 2.0 Working Drafts in your current and upcoming projects:

If your site is required to meet WCAG 1.0, you may choose to develop it to meet both WCAG 1.0 and WCAG 2.0.

After reading the Overview of WCAG 2.0 Documents, the best place to start using WCAG 2.0 is the Quick Reference.

Where can I find answers to more of my questions?

First, look through the documents on the W3C WAI Web site, which are listed in the annotated list of WAI Resources.

WAI staff are actively developing guidelines, technical reports, and supporting material, and generally are not available to answer individual questions. You can send questions to wai@w3.org and we will integrate answers into this page and other documents as we are able.

WAI hosts an Interest Group (WAI IG) mailing list where the community discusses Web accessibility issues. WAI IG provides ideas from different perspectives. If you have a question that might be relevant to the WAI IG list, you can:

How can I get updates?

To get notifications when this FAQ is updated, you can subscribe to the WCAG 2.0 Updates RSS feed. For information about RSS, see About RSS.

The latest version of WCAG 2.0 documents are linked from the Overview of WCAG 2.0 Documents, which we keep up-to-date.

Other recent WAI work is listed on the WAI IG page under "Documents Under Review by WAI IG". When WAI publishes new resources or makes significant updates to existing resources, we: