Web accessibility, at its core, is about addressing the potential difficulties associated with using the web for people with disabilities. However, many of the solutions and standards prescribed to address these difficulties make the web a better place for everyone. Standardizing certain aspects of web design makes the web a more intuitive place.
There’s a good chance you benefit from something that is considered an accessibility consideration, whether or not its absence would be a barrier for your use. And as those standards evolve to reflect the growing capabilities of technology, that crossover becomes even more prominent. WCAG 2.2 is still at least a year away from becoming the new standard, but here are three things we can all look forward to once that happens.
Fixed Reference Points
When deciding between a digital and print edition of a book, people who are planning on reading in a group often have to factor in whether the digital version will make it hard to follow along. Because of text reflow, eBook page numbers don’t inherently match up with those of their print counter parts. The Fixed Reference Point success criteria of WCAG 2.2 ensure that these reference points (in this case page numbers) are consistent across these different versions. So whether you’re grabbing a book for your local book club or picking up textbooks for school, you won’t have to worry about being out of sync with your group.
Accessible Authentication
Remember usernames? Most sites nowadays have you use your email address to log in—or even use your Google or Facebook account to log you in automatically. And WCAG 2.2 considers this modern convenience to be a mandatory accessibility consideration. This item in WCAG 2.2 also puts a ban on sites relying on puzzles or calculations for login authentication. Which is great because no one likes clicking on telephone poles and buses over and over again.
Redundant Entry
Filling out forms online is a pain. Filling out the same fields in those forms twice is an unnecessary pain. Fortunately, WCAG 2.2 has you covered. Yeah, you’ll still have to confirm your password. But data that can be passed along from one form to the next—will have to be.