WCAG Techniques Updated - Learn about the informative guidance

Today W3C WAI published updated Techniques for WCAG 2.0 and Understanding WCAG 2.0, following a public review period. For background on the stable WCAG standard and this updated supporting material, read the October 2010 blog post.

About the Techniques

First, understand that the basis for determining conformance to WCAG 2.0 is the success criteria from the WCAG 2.0 standard — not the techniques. The Techniques document provides guidance that is "informative". You do not have to use the sufficient techniques to meet WCAG. Web content can use other ways to meet the WCAG success criteria. Web content could even fail a particular technique test, yet still meet WCAG a different way. Also, content that uses the published techniques does not necessarily meet all WCAG success criteria.

To learn more about the techniques, please see:

• About the Techniques section of How to Meet WCAG 2.0: A customizable quick reference...
• Sufficient and Advisory Techniques section of Understanding WCAG 2.0

About this Update

The updated documents published today include more coverage of non-W3C technologies (Flash, PDF, Silverlight), which will help developers who are using those technologies make their content more accessible. However, publication of techniques for a specific technology does not imply that the technology can be used in all cases to create accessible content that meets WCAG 2.0. (For example, the Flash Techniques for WCAG 2.0 say: "Flash accessibility support for assistive technology relies on use in Windows operating systems, using Internet Explorer 6 or later (with Flash Player 6 or later) or Mozilla Firefox 3 or later (with Flash Player 9 or later).") Developers need to be aware of the limitations of specific technologies and ensure that they create content in a way that is accessible to all their potential users.

Changes in this update are highlighted in diff-marked versions at: Techniques for WCAG 2.0 (Diff), Understanding WCAG (Diff).

(Note: The first links above go to the latest version of the documents. The "dated" versions of this update are: Techniques for WCAG 2.0 (dated URI), Understanding WCAG (dated URI) The difference between these links are explained in Referencing and Linking to WAI Guidelines and Technical Documents.)

Help Develop Techniques

Updating and expanding these WCAG supporting documents is on-going work, and we welcome your contributions.

• You can send in your ideas for new techniques via the Techniques for WCAG 2.0 submission form.
• You can comment on what's already there via the web form or e-mail listed in the Instructions for Commenting on WCAG 2.0 Documents.
• You can actively participate in the WCAG Working Group, writing and reviewing new techniques.

And finally, a big thanks to the WCAG Working Group and everyone who is contributing to providing updated WCAG 2.0 Techniques!