WCAG 2 A and AA Checklist (Content Editors)

Note: this checklist is a set of recommendations for ways applications developed at Yale may best meet WCAG 2 requirements. It is not a substitute for the WCAG 2 specification, and it may not cover all use cases. Email accessibility@yale.edu to provide feedback on these recommendations or for help with your Yale application.

1.1.1 Non-text Content (A) (2.0)

  • If short alt text is sufficient to describe an image, provide the short text via the image's alt attribute.
  • If a short text alternative is not sufficient to describe an image (such as in a chart, graph, or diagram), provide short text via the image's alt attribute, and include a long description in nearby text.
  • If an image or icon is used as a button or link, the image has a text alternative sufficient to describe the purpose of the button or link.
  • Images that are decorative, used for formatting, or contain content already conveyed in text have a null alt attribute or are implemented as CSS background images.

1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) (A) (2.0)

  • For pre-recorded audio (without video), provide a descriptive transcript that includes dialogue and all other meaningful sound.
  • For pre-recorded video (without audio), provided a text alternative or audio descriptions that provide the same information presented

1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) (A) (2.0)

  • Provide captions for prerecorded audio content in non-live synchronized media.

1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) (A) (2.0)

  • For non-live video, provide a descriptive transcript or an audio description.

1.2.4 Captions (Live) (AA) (2.0)

  • Provide captions for live audio and video.

1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) (AA) (2.0)

  • Videos should include "radio style" narration so that content makes sense if someone is consuming just the audio track. Include any text elements in the narration.

1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A) (2.0)

  • Use semantic markup to designate headings, lists, figures, emphasized text, etc.
  • Organize pages using properly nested HTML headings.
  • Reserve tables for tabular data, use table headers appropriately, and use table captions.

1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics (A) (2.0)

  • Do not identify content based on its color, size, shape, position, sound, or other sensory characteristics.

1.4.5 Images of Text (AA) (2.0)

  • Avoid images of text, except in cases such as logos.

2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold (A) (2.0)

  • Do not provide any content that flashes more than three times in any 1-second period.

2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (A) (2.0)

  • The purpose of each link can be determined from the link text alone, or from the link text and the containing paragraph, list item, or table cell, or the link text and the title attribute.

2.4.6 Headings and Labels (AA) (2.0)

  • Ensure that on each page, headings, landmark labels, and form labels are unique unless the structure provides adequate differentiation between them.