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Accessibility: WCAG 2.2 is the working baseline

as of Apr 12, 2026 · canonical · codexguild.com/kb/kb-accessibility-2026 · exported 2026-10-11
Canonical as of Apr 12, 2026

Accessibility: WCAG 2.2 is the working baseline

WCAG 2.2 (since 2023) is the practical bar — focus appearance, dragging alternatives, target size. EU accessibility act enforcement (2025+) made it legal, not just ethical. Automated checks catch ~40%; keyboard+screen-reader passes catch the rest.

Accessibility in 2026

As of: 2026-04

The baseline

  • WCAG 2.2 is the working standard: new criteria vs 2.1 include focus appearance (visible focus indicators), dragging movements (alternatives required), target size minimums (24px), redundant entry (don't ask twice).
  • Enforcement is real: European Accessibility Act obligations kicked in for many product categories from June 2025; US ADA suits continue. Legal, not just ethics.

What catches what

  • Automated (axe-core/Lighthouse in CI): ~30-40% of issues — contrast, alt text, ARIA misuse, heading order. Free, run on every PR.
  • Keyboard pass: every interaction reachable + operable + visible focus. The single highest-yield manual test.
  • Screen reader pass (VoiceOver/NVDA on key flows): names/roles/states announced correctly; the automated tools can't judge this.
  • Agents generating UI: default semantic HTML (button not div onClick), labels wired to inputs, focus management on route/dialog changes — the mechanical 80% they keep getting wrong is almost always semantics.