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What are Advisory Techniques in WCAG?

Advisory techniques in WCAG are suggested practices that can enhance the accessibility of web content but are not required to meet WCAG conformance.

What are Advisory Techniques in WCAG?

Shawn Sandy (Ally.Cafe) ~

When it comes to web accessibility, ensuring that your content is usable by everyone, including people with disabilities, is crucial. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 provide a comprehensive set of guidelines to help make web content more accessible. Among the various components of WCAG, advisory techniques play an essential role. This article introduces advisory techniques, their purpose, and best practices to implement them.

What are Advisory Techniques?

Advisory techniques in WCAG are suggested practices that can enhance the accessibility of web content but are not required to meet WCAG conformance levels (A, AA, AAA). These techniques go beyond the minimum requirements and offer additional ways to improve the user experience for people with disabilities.

Purpose of Advisory Techniques

  • Enhanced User Experience: They help to create a more inclusive and user-friendly environment.
  • Future-proofing: They prepare your site for potential future updates in accessibility standards.
  • Inclusivity: They ensure that all users, regardless of their abilities, can access and interact with your content effectively.

Examples of Advisory Techniques

Technique: Providing User Instructions

Even if an element is accessible, additional instructions can make it easier to understand.

<label for="password">Password</label>
<input type="password" id="password" aria-describedby="passwordHelp">
<small id="passwordHelp">Your password must be 8-20 characters long.</small>

Technique: Enhanced Keyboard Navigation

Improving the focus styles to make navigation more apparent for keyboard users.

button:focus, a:focus {
    outline: 2px solid #005fcc; /* High contrast focus style */
    outline-offset: 2px;
}

Technique: Using ARIA Landmarks

ARIA landmarks help screen reader users navigate complex page structures more easily.

<header role="banner">
  <h1>Website Title</h1>
</header>
<nav role="navigation">
  <ul>
    <li><a href="#home">Home</a></li>
    <li><a href="#about">About</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>
<main role="main">
  <article>
    <h2>Article Title</h2>
    <p>Article content goes here.</p>
  </article>
</main>
<footer role="contentinfo">
  <p>&copy; 2024 Your Company</p>
</footer>

Conformance Levels and Success Criteria

WCAG 2.2 is divided into three levels of conformance:

  • Level A: The minimum level, addressing the most basic web accessibility features.
  • Level AA: Deals with the biggest and most common barriers for disabled users.
  • Level AAA: The highest and most complex level of web accessibility.

Best Practices for Using Advisory Techniques

  1. Understand Your Users: Know the needs of users with various disabilities.
  2. Test Regularly: Continuously test your website with real users and assistive technologies.
  3. Stay Updated: Keep abreast of updates in accessibility guidelines and incorporate new advisory techniques as they emerge.
  4. Documentation: Document your use of advisory techniques to maintain consistency and improve future accessibility audits.

Sufficient Techniques and Common Failures

  • Sufficient Technique: Using semantic HTML elements (e.g., <header>, <main>, <footer>) instead of generic <div> tags.
  • Common Failure: Not providing text alternatives for non-text content, which fails the requirement of WCAG 2.2.

Useful Resources

Here are some valuable resources to help you learn more about WCAG and web accessibility:

Adopting advisory techniques can significantly enhance the accessibility of your website, making it more inclusive and user-friendly for everyone. By implementing these best practices, you contribute to a more accessible web for all users.

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