Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
WCAG 1.0 14 guidelines · 65 checkpoints · superseded
WCAG 1.0 was the first version of the guidelines: fourteen guidelines and 65 checkpoints, each given a priority from 1 to 3. W3C published it on 5 May 1999. WCAG 2.0 replaced it in December 2008, and W3C marked it superseded on 18 May 2021. It is here for history, and for old contracts that still name it.
- Priority 1
- 16
- Priority 2
- 30
- Priority 3
- 19
- Published
- 5 May 1999
Priorities
Three priorities, three levels
Each checkpoint has a priority. A page conformed at Level A when it met every Priority 1 checkpoint, at Double-A with Priorities 1 and 2, and at Triple-A with all three.
Read WCAG 1.0 at W3CPriority 1
A Web content developer must satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it impossible to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint is a basic requirement for some groups to be able to use Web documents.
Priority 2
A Web content developer should satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint will remove significant barriers to accessing Web documents.
Priority 3
A Web content developer may address this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it somewhat difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint will improve access to Web documents.
The guidelines
All 65 checkpoints
The text of every checkpoint as W3C published it, with its priority and the WCAG 2 success criteria it became. Checkpoints marked “Until user agents” were meant to lapse once browsers caught up.
1Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content.
Provide content that, when presented to the user, conveys essentially the same function or purpose as auditory or visual content.
- 1.1Priority 1
Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content). This includes: images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and programmatic objects, ascii art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video.
- 1.2Priority 1
Provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side image map.
- 1.3Priority 1Until user agents
Until user agents can automatically read aloud the text equivalent of a visual track, provide an auditory description of the important information of the visual track of a multimedia presentation.
- 1.4Priority 1
For any time-based multimedia presentation (e.g., a movie or animation), synchronize equivalent alternatives (e.g., captions or auditory descriptions of the visual track) with the presentation.
- 1.5Priority 3Until user agents
Until user agents render text equivalents for client-side image map links, provide redundant text links for each active region of a client-side image map.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
2Don't rely on color alone.
Ensure that text and graphics are understandable when viewed without color.
- 2.1Priority 1
Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup.
In WCAG 2
- 2.2Priority 2
Ensure that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen.
Priority 2 for images, Priority 3 for text].
3Use markup and style sheets and do so properly.
Mark up documents with the proper structural elements. Control presentation with style sheets rather than with presentation elements and attributes.
- 3.1Priority 2
When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather than images to convey information.
- 3.3Priority 2
Use style sheets to control layout and presentation.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 3.4Priority 2
Use relative rather than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values.
In WCAG 2
- 3.5Priority 2
Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification.
- 3.7Priority 2
Mark up quotations. Do not use quotation markup for formatting effects such as indentation.
In WCAG 2
4Clarify natural language usage
Use markup that facilitates pronunciation or interpretation of abbreviated or foreign text.
- 4.1Priority 1
Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions).
In WCAG 2
- 4.2Priority 3
Specify the expansion of each abbreviation or acronym in a document where it first occurs.
In WCAG 2
5Create tables that transform gracefully.
Ensure that tables have necessary markup to be transformed by accessible browsers and other user agents.
- 5.1Priority 1
For data tables, identify row and column headers.
In WCAG 2
- 5.2Priority 1
For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.
In WCAG 2
- 5.3Priority 2
Do not use tables for layout unless the table makes sense when linearized. Otherwise, if the table does not make sense, provide an alternative equivalent (which may be a linearized version).
In WCAG 2
- 5.4Priority 2
If a table is used for layout, do not use any structural markup for the purpose of visual formatting.
In WCAG 2
- 5.5Priority 3
Provide summaries for tables.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 5.6Priority 3
Provide abbreviations for header labels.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
6Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully.
Ensure that pages are accessible even when newer technologies are not supported or are turned off.
- 6.1Priority 1
Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets. For example, when an HTML document is rendered without associated style sheets, it must still be possible to read the document.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 6.2Priority 1
Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes.
- 6.3Priority 1
Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 6.4Priority 2
For scripts and applets, ensure that event handlers are input device-independent.
In WCAG 2
- 6.5Priority 2
Ensure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation or page.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
7Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes.
Ensure that moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating objects or pages may be paused or stopped.
- 7.1Priority 1Until user agents
Until user agents allow users to control flickering, avoid causing the screen to flicker.
- 7.2Priority 2Until user agents
Until user agents allow users to control blinking, avoid causing content to blink (i.e., change presentation at a regular rate, such as turning on and off).
In WCAG 2
- 7.3Priority 2Until user agents
Until user agents allow users to freeze moving content, avoid movement in pages.
In WCAG 2
- 7.4Priority 2Until user agents
Until user agents provide the ability to stop the refresh, do not create periodically auto-refreshing pages.
- 7.5Priority 2Until user agents
Until user agents provide the ability to stop auto-redirect, do not use markup to redirect pages automatically. Instead, configure the server to perform redirects.
8Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces.
Ensure that the user interface follows principles of accessible design: device-independent access to functionality, keyboard operability, self-voicing, etc.
- 8.1Priority 2
Make programmatic elements such as scripts and applets directly accessible or compatible with assistive technologies
Priority 1 if functionality is important and not presented elsewhere, otherwise Priority 2.
In WCAG 2
9Design for device-independence.
Use features that enable activation of page elements via a variety of input devices.
- 9.1Priority 1
Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape.
In WCAG 2
- 9.2Priority 2
Ensure that any element that has its own interface can be operated in a device-independent manner.
In WCAG 2
- 9.3Priority 2
For scripts, specify logical event handlers rather than device-dependent event handlers.
In WCAG 2
- 9.4Priority 3
Create a logical tab order through links, form controls, and objects.
In WCAG 2
- 9.5Priority 3
Provide keyboard shortcuts to important links (including those in client-side image maps), form controls, and groups of form controls.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
10Use interim solutions.
Use interim accessibility solutions so that assistive technologies and older browsers will operate correctly.
- 10.1Priority 2Until user agents
Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window without informing the user.
- 10.2Priority 2Until user agents
Until user agents support explicit associations between labels and form controls, for all form controls with implicitly associated labels, ensure that the label is properly positioned.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 10.3Priority 3Until user agents
Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render side-by-side text correctly, provide a linear text alternative (on the current page or some other) for all tables that lay out text in parallel, word-wrapped columns.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 10.4Priority 3Until user agents
Until user agents handle empty controls correctly, include default, place-holding characters in edit boxes and text areas.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 10.5Priority 3Until user agents
Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render adjacent links distinctly, include non-link, printable characters (surrounded by spaces) between adjacent links.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
11Use W3C technologies and guidelines.
Use W3C technologies (according to specification) and follow accessibility guidelines. Where it is not possible to use a W3C technology, or doing so results in material that does not transform gracefully, provide an alternative version of the content that is accessible.
- 11.1Priority 2
Use W3C technologies when they are available and appropriate for a task and use the latest versions when supported.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 11.2Priority 2
Avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 11.3Priority 3
Provide information so that users may receive documents according to their preferences (e.g., language, content type, etc.)
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 11.4Priority 1
If, after best efforts, you cannot create an accessible page, provide a link to an alternative page that uses W3C technologies, is accessible, has equivalent information (or functionality), and is updated as often as the inaccessible (original) page.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
12Provide context and orientation information.
Provide context and orientation information to help users understand complex pages or elements.
- 12.1Priority 1
Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation.
- 12.2Priority 2
Describe the purpose of frames and how frames relate to each other if it is not obvious by frame titles alone.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 12.3Priority 2
Divide large blocks of information into more manageable groups where natural and appropriate.
In WCAG 2
- 12.4Priority 2
Associate labels explicitly with their controls.
13Provide clear navigation mechanisms.
Provide clear and consistent navigation mechanisms -- orientation information, navigation bars, a site map, etc. -- to increase the likelihood that a person will find what they are looking for at a site.
- 13.1Priority 2
Clearly identify the target of each link.
- 13.2Priority 2
Provide metadata to add semantic information to pages and sites.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 13.3Priority 2
Provide information about the general layout of a site (e.g., a site map or table of contents).
In WCAG 2
- 13.4Priority 2
Use navigation mechanisms in a consistent manner.
- 13.5Priority 3
Provide navigation bars to highlight and give access to the navigation mechanism.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 13.6Priority 3Until user agents
Group related links, identify the group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass the group.
- 13.7Priority 3
If search functions are provided, enable different types of searches for different skill levels and preferences.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 13.8Priority 3
Place distinguishing information at the beginning of headings, paragraphs, lists, etc.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 13.9Priority 3
Provide information about document collections (i.e., documents comprising multiple pages.).
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 13.10Priority 3
Provide a means to skip over multi-line ASCII art.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
14Ensure that documents are clear and simple.
Ensure that documents are clear and simple so they may be more easily understood.
- 14.1Priority 1
Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 14.2Priority 3
Supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations where they will facilitate comprehension of the page.
In WCAG 2
No success criterion; the comparison gives no direct equivalent.
- 14.3Priority 3
Create a style of presentation that is consistent across pages.
No checkpoint matches these filters.
What came next
From WCAG 1.0 to 2.0
WCAG 2.0 regrouped the requirements under four principles and wrote each as a testable success criterion that does not depend on a particular technology.
40 of the 65 checkpoints map to at least one WCAG 2.0 success criterion; the other twenty-five have no direct equivalent. Many of those were about the technology of the time: frames, applets, interim fixes for old browsers and using W3C formats.