Web Accessibility at the University of California
The Electronic Accessibility Leadership Team recommends that University of California Web developers conform to the WCAG 2.0 level AA standards for all Web-based information. (Note that for non Web-based electronic and information technology, UC entities should follow the accessibility standards provided in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.)
Description of WCAG 2.0
WCAG 2.0 refers to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which are published by the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 provide recommendations for making Web content more accessible. By following these guidelines, UC will make content more accessible to a wide range of people with disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity and combinations of these. In addition, these guidelines will often make Web content more usable to everyone in general.
WCAG 2.0 is developed through the W3C process in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world, with a goal of providing a shared standard for Web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally. WCAG 2.0 builds on WCAG 1.0 and is designed to apply broadly to different Web technologies now and in the future, and to be testable with a combination of automated testing and human evaluation.
Levels of Conformance (A, AA, AAA)
WCAG 2.0 guidelines are categorized into three levels of conformance in order to meet the needs of different groups and different situations: A (lowest), AA (mid range), and AAA (highest). Conformance at higher levels indicates conformance at lower levels. For example, by conforming to AA, a Web page meets both the A and AA conformance levels. Level A sets a minimum level of accessibility and does not achieve broad accessibility for many situations. For this reason, UC recommends AA conformance for all Web-based information. The WCAG document does not recommend that Level AAA conformance be required as a general policy for entire sites because it is not possible to satisfy all Level AAA success criteria for some content. See Understanding Levels of Conformance and Conformance Requirements.
Resources
