What is WCAG? And what does it mean for eLearning?

This Thursday marks Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Whether you’re a seasoned instructional designer or you’ve just found yourself Googling ‘what is WCAG?’ for the first time, it’s a welcome reminder that accessibility should never be an afterthought.

Inclusive design and effective eLearning are inseparable; every course you create should have accessibility built in right from the planning stages. And the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines – WCAG for short – are the globally recognised standards that set the bar for inclusive digital content.

Unsure where to begin? Here’s what you need to know – from the core principles and compliance levels to how WCAG impacts L&D specifically.

👉 More from OL: Common accessibility mistakes, including how to fix them

What is WCAG?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are the universal standard for inclusive digital content. Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), they exist to unify and formalise a shared standard across the web – ensuring content works for everyone, including learners who have a visual, audio or motor impairment, or are neurodiverse. 

In this blog, we’re focusing on WCAG 2.2 – the most recent version. For anyone planning ahead, it’s worth noting that an updated version – WCAG 3 – is in the works. It’s currently in the drafting stages and is expected to become the standard in the next few years.

Is WCAG a legal requirement in the UK?

For public sector organisations, yes. The Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 require public sector websites, public-facing apps and intranets to meet the WCAG 2.2 AA requirements. An accessibility statement is required too, confirming the level of compliance.

For private sector organisations, it’s less clear-cut. There’s no mandated level of WCAG compliance, but The Equality Act 2010 does require employers to ensure digital content doesn’t put disabled people at a disadvantage. WCAG is the standard most organisations point to when demonstrating they’ve met that obligation.

Regardless of where your organisation sits, WCAG should be adopted across the board. The guidelines exist to make sure content works for everyone – and that’s a principle that shouldn’t need a legal nudge.

Does WCAG apply to eLearning?

Yes – while the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are most commonly associated with web pages, they cover digital services more broadly, so it’s safe to assume that any eLearning you create falls into that bucket.  

Understanding why WCAG matters goes beyond ticking a compliance box, though. Inclusive design should be a given in L&D. With an estimated 16.8 million people in the UK living with a disability, content that isn’t built with accessibility in mind risks shutting out a huge chunk of your audience – something no good course should do.

👉 Go beyond the basics with our Articulate 360: eLearning accessibility training course

The WCAG principles – and what they mean for eLearning

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines cover four key principles: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. ‘POUR’ is a handy acronym to remember them. Together, they set the standard for accessible digital content – including the eLearning you create. For the full set of criteria, head to the WCAG 2.2 guidelines. 

Perceivable

Every learner needs to be able to access and take in your content, regardless of any impairments they may have. In practice, that means not relying on a single sense to convey information. If someone can’t see, hear or distinguish certain colours, they should still be able to get everything your course is offering. 

Some things to look out for in your courses: 

• Add alt text to all images and graphics – unless they’re purely decorative 

• Provide captions and transcripts for any audio or video content 

• Never use colour as the only way to communicate something, for example red and green alone to indicate right and wrong in quizzes 

• Check colour contrast between text and background meets the recommended ratio 

• Make sure text is readable at larger sizes and that your course layout responds cleanly if a learner adjusts their font size or display settings
   

Operable

Learners should be able to navigate through every element of your course with ease, and that means designing for more than just a mouse.  

In L&D, this means you need to check the following: 

• Ensure keyboard navigation works throughout, including menus, drag and drops and all clickable elements 

• As learners tab through a course, the focused element should always be clearly visible so they don’t have to guess where they are 

• Buttons and interactive elements should be large enough to select comfortably, with enough breathing room between them  

• Avoid time limits to give learners enough room to work through content

Understandable

Your course needs to make sense to every learner – from the language you use to the way your modules are structured. 

When it comes to your courses:  

• Use plain, jargon-free language throughout 

• Keep navigation familiar so learners always know where they are and what to do next 

• Make error messages clear and helpful – if a learner gets something wrong in a knowledge check, they should understand why and know how to move forward 

Robust

Your course needs to work reliably across different browsers, devices and assistive technologies – not just on the setup you built it on. Some authoring tools, including Articulate 360, have accessibility features built in to support this, but they still need to be used correctly and tested thoroughly.  

Things to test: 

• Test that screen readers, magnification tools and voice navigation software can all interpret your content correctly 

• Run your course across different devices, browsers and your chosen LMS before it goes live – what works on your machine won’t always work everywhere else
  

WCAG levels of compliance

There are three levels of compliance within the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines: 

• Level A – The minimum standard, covering the most fundamental accessibility requirements. It’s the baseline, and the right place to start, but not where you should stop. 

• Level AA – The level most organisations should be working to. It tackles the most common and significant barriers disabled users face. 

• Level AAA – The highest level of compliance, going above and beyond to make content accessible to as many people as possible. It isn’t mandated, and for some content it may not be fully achievable, but it’s worth pursuing where you can. 

For most L&D teams, AA is the target. It’s the level that demonstrates a commitment to inclusive design, and the one to measure all your eLearning against.

Why WCAG matters in L&D

Whether your organisation is legally required to follow WCAG or not, the principles are worth building into every piece of eLearning you create – from the initial planning stages right through to testing and sign-off. 

Accessibility should be woven into how you write, how you structure content and how you build interactions – as a constant consideration, not an occasional one. When that’s the standard you hold yourself to, every learner gets the experience they deserve. 

From authoring tools like Articulate 360 with accessibility features built in, to expert training on designing inclusive eLearning, find out how we can support your accessibility journey – get in touch.