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When it comes to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), there is A LOT you need to know and keep in mind. It’s why we created our Web Accessibility Guide in the first place:
To simplify the guidelines and help create enjoyable and accessible content.
But unless you’ve been taking notes, it can be hard to remember everything when it comes to developing your website, writing your blog post, recording your podcast, or filming your marketing materials.
It’s a lot of material, and you’re only human.
But at Unity, we understand that. We know that many people won’t have the ins and outs of the WCAG memorized. Some individuals may even forget key principles.
Well, we’re happy to say that we have your back. Along with our comprehensive guide, blogs breaking down the different parts of web accessibility, and social content, we wanted to provide you with one more tool that’ll help to track your web accessibility process easier:
Our Accessibility Checklist.
If you’re ever working on an accessibility project — from web design to content creation — and don’t feel like scrolling through our guide or reviewing our in-depth blog posts, feel free to use this checklist instead!
We hope this helps make your projects easier, whatever they might be!
Structure
- Use a descriptive title for each page
- Success Criteria: 2.4.2 Page Titled, Level A
- Use headings with a hierarchy
- Success Criteria:
- 1.3.1 Info and Relationships, Level A
- 2.4.6 Headings and Labels, Level AA
- 2.4.10 Section Headings, Level AAA
- Success Criteria:
- Use bulleted or numbered lists for groups of related items
- Success Criteria: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships, Level A
- Use descriptive links
- Success Criteria:
- 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context), Level A
- 2.4.9 Link Purpose (Link Only), Level AAA
- Success Criteria:
- Do not use only color, shape, size, or location to imply meaning
- Success Criteria:
- 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics, Level A
- 1.4.1 Use of Color, Level A
- Success Criteria:
- Do not refer to something using only color, shape, size, or location
- Success Criteria: 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics, Level A
- Make sure there is enough contrast between text/icons and the background
- Success Criteria:
- 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum), Level AA
- 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast, Level AA
- Success Criteria:
- Do not place text content in carousels or sliders
- Success Criteria:
- 1.3.1 Info and Relationships, Level A
- 2.1.1 Keyboard, Level A
- 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide, Level A
- Success Criteria:
Writing
- Target 6th to 8th-grade reading levels
- Success Criteria: 3.1.5 Reading Level, Level AAA
- Make your paragraphs easy to read
- Success Criteria: 3.1.5 Reading Level, Level AAA
- Use abbreviations sparingly
- Success Criteria: 3.1.4 Abbreviations, Level AAA
- Avoid jargon, slang, and unfamiliar words
- Success Criteria:
- 3.1.3 Unusual Words, Level AAA
- 3.1.6 Pronunciation, Level AAA
- Success Criteria:
Images
- Include alt text for images
- Success Criteria: 1.1.1 Non-text Content, Level A
- Avoid using images for information that could be communicated in writing
- Success Criteria: 1.4.5 Images of Text, Level AA
- Provide controls for photo gallery slideshows
- Success Criteria:
- 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable, Level A
- 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide, Level A
- 2.2.3 No Timing, Level AAA
- 2.2.4 Interruptions, Level AAA
- Success Criteria:
Audio
- Provide text transcripts for spoken audio content
- Success Criteria: 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded), Level A
- Provide controls for audio players
- Success Criteria: 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded), Level A
Videos
- Don’t add anything that flashes more than three times per second
- Success Criteria: 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold, Level A
- Provide closed captions for video content
- Success Criteria:
- 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded), Level A
- 1.2.6 Sign Language (Prerecorded), Level AAA
- Success Criteria:
- Provide audio descriptions or text alternatives for videos
- Success Criteria:
- Provide controls for video players
- Success Criteria: 1.4.2 Audio Control, Level A
Feel free to use this page however you’d like, and don't forget to bookmark it so you can get back to it quickly!
And if you’re looking for a document to edit? Download our free PDF of this checklist and mark it however you see fit!