What is web accessibility? WCAG 2.2 in plain language
Web accessibility means people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive differences can use your site. The international benchmark is W3C's WCAG; version 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023 and is also published as ISO/IEC 40500. It defines four principles (perceivable, operable, understandable, robust) and three levels (A, AA, AAA); in practice AA is the target. In Türkiye, TÜBİTAK BİLGEM's KAMİS guide applies the same principles to public sector sites.
- AA is the practical target level
- Contrast and keyboard navigation come first
- Automated tests find only part of the problems
- Accessibility improves SEO and usability too
What is accessibility?
Web accessibility means everyone can use the site: a blind visitor with a screen reader, someone who cannot use a mouse, a deaf user, or anyone with one hand busy. The standards come from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative.
What WCAG 2.2 says
WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023, was updated in late 2024 and is also approved as the ISO/IEC 40500 standard. It rests on four principles:
- Perceivable: images need alternative text, video needs captions, colour alone must not carry meaning.
- Operable: everything must work from the keyboard; moving content must be stoppable.
- Understandable: language should be plain, and form errors should say what to do.
- Robust: markup must be readable by assistive technology.
Conformance has three levels: A (minimum), AA (the common target), AAA (most comprehensive).
Eight things you can fix today
- Measure text contrast; aim for at least 4.5:1 in body copy.
- Write meaningful alternative text; leave it empty for decorative images.
- Navigate the whole site with the keyboard and keep the focus ring visible.
- Label form fields and put clear error messages next to them.
- Keep heading order intact; don't pick a heading level for its size.
- Add captions to video.
- Let people stop auto-playing motion and respect reduced-motion settings.
- Make link text meaningful on its own — never "click here".
Türkiye and Europe
In Türkiye, the KAMİS guide run by TÜBİTAK BİLGEM defines WCAG-based accessibility principles for public sector sites. In Europe, accessibility obligations now reach beyond the public sector into commercial services, with EN 301 549 referencing WCAG as the technical benchmark — relevant for anyone selling into the EU.
Accessibility is not an add-on; it is what well-built HTML produces. Patching it later costs more than doing it from the start.
Sources
- W3C, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2
- W3C WAI, WCAG 2 Overview
- TÜBİTAK BİLGEM, KAMİS
Frequently asked questions
Is accessibility mandatory?
Regulations apply to public bodies and to companies selling into certain markets. For commercial sites it is first of all a quality measure that prevents lost users.
Are automated tests enough?
No. Tools catch contrast and labels; keyboard flow and meaning need manual testing.
Does accessibility make design ugly?
No. Contrast and focus states can be designed deliberately, and the constraint usually makes the design clearer.
Does it affect SEO?
Indirectly but really: heading structure, alt text and meaningful links help search engines too.
