Standards and Definitions
Accessibility isn't just a feeling. There are agreed-upon standards and definitions that we can orient ourselves around in the pursuit of digital access in our projects. Here are some of the common specs and definitions:
WCAG
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are a standard set of criteria for measuring accessibility. Some guidelines can be automated with tools like Axe or WAVE, while many others require human review.
The current version of WCAG is 2.2 (opens in a new tab). There is a future 3.0 version way out there on the horizon, but you should consider 2.2 to be the standard for now (in 2023). WCAG 2.x versions are mostly backwards-compatible.
WCAG is developed in the open on GitHub (opens in a new tab). While only certain folks can directly affect decision-making, the general public can contribute comments. Anyone can look at the repository for a backlog and history.
ARIA
ARIA stands for Accessible Rich Internet Applications. We'll cover this in detail in a future section. But, it outlines a standard set of roles, states, and properties you can apply to your HTML markup to supply accessibility information.
The current ARIA verison is 1.2 (opens in a new tab). ARIA is also developed in the open on GitHub (opens in a new tab).
ARIA in HTML, and similar documents
There are other helpful documents provided by the W3C, such as ARIA in HTML (opens in a new tab), an apparent newer version of the older classic "Rules of ARIA use" in Using ARIA (opens in a new tab).
The formatting and state of many W3C documents can make it unclear what is current, or even the purpose of the document. My advice is to spend some time reading through it and ask around if you're unsure on whether something is still current.
Normative vs. non-normative
Throughout these documents, you may see the terms "normative" and "non-normative".
Normative references are typically references to established standards previously published by recognized groups or to work in parallel in W3C. These references are used for measuring compliance.
Non-normative material is meant to be informative, developed under a variety of processes, copyrights, and patent policies. They were not approved for compliance. For one example, tutorials might be non-normative as they have not been standardized and would not hold up in a court of law.
A11y (numeronym for accessibility)
You may have seen the word "A11y", which is a numeronym for accessibility. There are 11 letters between the letters A and Y in accessibility, and this shorthand version has historically been helpful on social media platforms and in accessibility culture.
It is worth pointing out the irony of "a11y" not being the most accessible term to people, though. Not everyone is a fan of it. But now you know what a numeronym is and the meaning of A11Y!