Accessibility and the Web
Learn the basics about legal requirements and technical standards for web accessibility.
What is accessibility?
Accessibility is the degree to which something is made available to a person. Often, the term “accessibility” is used to focus on making equal access for people with mental or physical impairments, but accessibility can lead to solutions that are more usable for everyone.
Examples of Impairments That Impact Web Accessibility
- Blindness and low vision
- Deafness and hearing loss
- Learning disabilities
- Cognitive limitations
- Limited movement
- Speech disabilities
- Photosensitivity
Legal Requirements
Accessibility is required by state and federal law. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are used by both as a way to test accessibility conformance.
Texas Administrative Code
All new or edited webpages must comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA, except for guidelines for Time-Based Media (1.2).
Effective April 2020
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA is the technical standard for state and local governments’ web content and mobile apps.
- Effective June 24, 2024
- Department of Justice rule regarding implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (89 FR 31320)
- Compliance by April 24, 2026
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed by the World Wide Web Consortium, are technical standards that help make the digital world accessible to people with disabilities.
WCAG is not a law — instead, it is an evolving set of recommendations with testable conformance criteria. WCAG is often used as the technical standard against which laws are tested. So far, there have been four published versions of WCAG:
- WCAG 1.0 (1999)
- WCAG 2.0 (2008)
- WCAG 2.1 (2018)
- WCAG 2.2 (2023)
WCAG Conformance Levels
Each testable criterion of WCAG can receive three levels of conformance:
- A (lowest)
- AA
- AAA (highest)
Typically, higher levels of compliance are more cost- or labor-intensive to meet. For example, for time-based media, AAA compliance includes having sign language interpretation for all prerecorded videos.
Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) currently uses WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard. This means that as a state university, we are required to meet this level of conformance. However, we should strive to meet AAA standards where feasible.