Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 defines how to make Web content more accessible to people with a wide range disabilities from visual impairments to physical limitations.  Developed through the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), WCAG 2.0 provides a set of guidelines and specifications intended for Web developers and content creators to ensure all elements of their websites are accessible. 

WCAG 2.0 is based on 4 general principles or POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust.  For more information on these principles as well as guidelines for each, please visit W3c's WCAG 2.0 Overview page. 

WCAG 2.0 ensures that all users, including those who require the help of assistive technologies are able to access information via the Web

Resources for Creating Accessible Web Content

A Practical Starter Guide on Developing Accessible Websites: This article from Code4Lib Journal offers a a basic overview of web accessibility as well as some useful tools for those that are new to the field.  It discusses considerations, guidelines and offers links to helpful resources and tools.

Web Accessibility Tutorials and Presentations:  Provided by W3c, these presentations, videos, before and after demonstrations and reference guides are intended for developers and content creators to ensure Web content is created and maintained in an accessible format.   

Techniques for WCAG 2.0: Also created and provided by W3c, the Techniques for WCAG 2.0 offers a detailed guide of the accessibility requirements for websites, breaking items down by element type (i.e., HTML/XML, scripting, PDF, etc.).  

• How to Meet WCAG 2.0:  this quick reference guide provide the same information as the above resource, but is more navigable allowing users to search for success criteria based on tags, elements, and keywords.  

For more information on NOAA Section 508 policies please contact the NOAA Coordinator, Natalie.D.Smith@noaa.gov.