What are the accessibility levels? The starting point for tackling the construction of an accessible website is to know the state of the portal we want to improve. What are the errors? What changes are necessary? These two questions are common, and they both share one answer: the web accessibility of a portal is defined according to the conformance criteria A, AA, and AAA established by the WCAG 2.1 standard.
This document outlines four fundamental principles of web accessibility: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Based on these premises, three levels are set that determine the degree of accessibility of a portal. Level A is the most basic and includes the fundamental requirements, although it does not guarantee access for all users.
To achieve this, it is necessary to meet minimum functionalities, including providing text alternatives for non-text content, subtitling audio, adapting content to different formats without losing information, or avoiding the use of color as the sole visual medium. Availability of functions from a keyboard, sufficient reading time, navigable space, the use of a single pointer, and readability are some of the criteria to consider.
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TogglePublic Administration, at least AA level
Level AA goes one step further and involves eliminating significant accessibility barriers. Subtitles for live audio broadcasts, the ability to view content in both horizontal and vertical orientation, changing text size up to 200 percent without losing content, headings and labels, or providing correction suggestions for input errors, among others, are essential for achieving AA conformance.
Public administrations are required to have at least AA level on their web content and applications. This is the requirement established by the current legislation, and in most cases, the adaptation deadlines have already passed. Except for mobile applications, which must be adapted before June 23 of this year.
There is still room to achieve excellence in web accessibility, represented by level AAA. It is not mandatory, but it is undoubtedly an ideal framework for a website to become a reference with the advantages it offers in terms of reputation and visibility. Sign language, extended audio description, restricted use of text images, alerts for users about waiting times, user localization, or defining unusual words are among the requirements for level AAA.
Meeting a higher conformance criterion means that the conditions of the lower level are satisfied. For example, for a website to achieve AAA, it must meet the obligations of levels A and AA.
How do I evaluate web accessibility levels?
To identify the accessibility deficiencies of any website, it is essential to conduct a study by a professional team. The most recommended approach is to request a web audit to carry out the diagnosis according to the W3V/WAI methodology.
This study will detail the web accessibility level and thus implement the necessary improvements. It is important to note that the levels are granted globally, to the entire page, and under no circumstances can they be applied fractionally.
