W3C: WCAG 2.2 accessibility requirements

Evidence class: normative standard, with separately identified informative explanations. Read: 2026-09-13. Scope: selected criteria and conformance requirements, not a completed audit. This organization requires WCAG AA as a baseline (AGENTS.md); this note declares no implementation conformant.

Normative authority and complete processes

WCAG 2.2, read 2026-09-13, is the normative source. AA conformance includes applicable A and AA requirements. Complete processes and full pages matter, not only a visually inspected component. The Understanding documents explain criteria but are not themselves additional normative requirements. Mobile websites remain within web scope; native platform units and guidance are not interchangeable with CSS pixels.

Target size

SC 2.5.8, AA, specifies at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, with spacing, equivalent-control, inline, user-agent, and essential-presentation exceptions. Apply the actual geometry of the exception, not a guessed universal gap. Source: Understanding Target Size Minimum, read 2026-09-13.

SC 2.5.5, AAA, uses 44 by 44 CSS pixels with its own exceptions. Larger comfortable controls can be a design goal without being falsely described as the AA minimum. Source: Understanding Target Size Enhanced, read 2026-09-13.

Text contrast

SC 1.4.3 generally requires 4.5:1 for text and 3:1 for large text, with defined exceptions. Large text is at least 18 point (about 24 CSS pixels), or 14 point bold (about 18.5 CSS pixels). Do not round a failing contrast value upward; brand styling is not a general exception. Source: Understanding Contrast Minimum, read 2026-10-29.

Implementation checks and limits

Our review should cover keyboard completion, focus, accessible labels and status, reflow, non-color information, forms, and drag alternatives against the applicable criteria. Testing with real assistive technology supplements automated checks. Consult the full standard when a case is not covered above. Source: WCAG 2.2, read 2026-09-13.

A passing target-size or contrast check is not complete accessibility. Product constraints must be resolved within the selected conformance target, not weighed as equivalent aesthetic preferences. This note makes no legal-compliance claim.

Content-resilience checks

SC 1.4.10, AA, covers reflow at an equivalent width of 320 CSS pixels for vertically scrolling content, without loss of information or functionality and without two-dimensional scrolling except where necessary for use or meaning. A necessary two-dimensional table does not exempt unrelated page content. Source: Understanding Reflow, read 2026-09-13.

SC 1.4.12, AA, tests resilience when users override line height to 1.5 times font size, paragraph spacing to 2 times, letter spacing to 0.12 times, and word spacing to 0.16 times, with applicable language exceptions. These are override-test values, not mandatory default typography. Source: Understanding Text Spacing, read 2026-09-13. Both Understanding pages are informative explanations of criteria, not separate standards. Our application is to inspect clipping, hidden labels, and lost controls with realistic content.

Criteria other documents rely on

SC 2.2.2, A: moving, blinking or scrolling information that starts automatically, lasts more than five seconds and is shown in parallel with other content needs a way to pause, stop or hide it. Auto-updating information that starts automatically and is shown in parallel with other content needs a way to pause, stop or hide it, or to set how often it updates. Neither applies when the movement or update is essential to the activity. Source: Understanding Pause, Stop, Hide, read 2026-10-29.

SC 1.4.11, AA: visual information needed to identify interface components and their states, and the parts of graphics needed to understand content, reach 3:1 against adjacent colors. Exempt: inactive components, components whose look comes from the browser unmodified, and graphics whose particular presentation is essential. Source: Understanding Non-text Contrast, read 2026-10-29.

SC 2.4.11, AA: a component that receives keyboard focus is not entirely hidden by author-created content. Source: Understanding Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), read 2026-10-29.

SC 1.1.1, A: all non-text content shown to a person, such as a picture, has a text alternative that serves the same purpose; a purely decorative picture is marked so assistive technology can ignore it. Source: Understanding Non-text Content, read 2026-10-29.