WCAG 2.2 Release Date

The release date for WCAG 2.2 has been changed. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) will now release the latest version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), version 2.2, in July, August, or September 2023 (Q3). This publication will be an important milestone in the ongoing effort to improve web accessibility and ensure that digital technology is inclusive and accessible to everyone. Please note that the original release date mentioned in this post, April 2023, is no longer accurate.

What is 4.1.1 Parsing?

WCAG Success Criteria 4.1.1 Parsing is a guideline that requires web content to be written in a way that web browsers and other user agents can understand. This means the code must be written in a way easily parsed and understood by the browser. This includes using valid HTML and CSS, as well as ensuring that the code is properly structured and formatted.

Success Criteria 4.1.1 Parsing had a number of benefits for web accessibility. By ensuring that web content was structured in a way that was easily understood and interpreted by assistive technologies, this criterion helped to ensure that users with disabilities were able to access and use web content effectively. This could include users with visual, auditory, or cognitive impairments, as well as users who rely on assistive technologies, such as screen readers, to navigate and interact with web content. By making web content more accessible to these users, Success Criteria 4.1.1 Parsing helped to increase the inclusiveness and accessibility of the web, which is a critical goal of web accessibility initiatives.

You can read more about Success Criteria 4.1.1 Parsing in the official WCAG documentation at https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/parsing.html

The Removal of 4.1.1 Parsing

One of the most noteworthy changes in WCAG 2.2 is the removal of Success Criteria 4.1.1 Parsing. This change reflects the evolution of web accessibility and the advances in technology and accessibility standards. Originally adopted to address issues with assistive technology directly parsing HTML, this criterion was designed to ensure that web content was structured in a way that was easily understood and interpreted by these technologies. However, as the need for direct parsing has diminished, and the accessibility errors failed by this criterion are now covered by other criteria, it was determined that Success Criteria 4.1.1 Parsing no longer had any utility and was removed from WCAG 2.2.

Read the Call For Consensus (CFC) post on the removal of Success Criteria 4.1.1 Parsing at https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-gl/2023JanMar/0097.html

The WCAG 2.2 Changelog

In addition to the removal of 4.1.1 Parsing, WCAG 2.2 will bring several other changes and improvements to the guidelines for web accessibility. To see a full list of these changes, please refer to the official change log at https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/#change-log. This resource is a must-read for web developers, designers, and content creators who want to stay up-to-date on the latest advances in web accessibility and ensure their web content is accessible to all users.

For further information on the removal of 4.1.1 Parsing, you can refer to the Call For Consensus (CFC) post at https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-gl/2023JanMar/0097.html.

In conclusion, WCAG 2.2 is set to be a game-changer in the world of web accessibility. With the removal of 4.1.1 Parsing and several other changes, it will provide a more comprehensive and user-friendly approach to web accessibility. Stay tuned for the official release in April 2023.