I Didn’t Realize WCAG Meant That! with Cam Coulter

Cam has noticed that sometimes organizational leaders can be quick to adopt WCAG 2.2 AA as an internal standard or policy; however, they may do so without really understanding the standard. In particular, they might not realize some important things that WCAG requires and places limitations around.

In this session, Cam will draw attention to some requirements that are too frequently overlooked, both to help aspiring accessibility specialists better understand WCAG as well as to help leaders better plan for what will be required. We’ll look at the need for podcast transcripts, accurate captions, and audio descriptions (including traditional, extended, and integrated descriptions), and since it’s the WordPress accessibility meetup group, we’ll look at how the Able Player plugin can help site owners manage these concerns.

We’ll look at 1.4.5 Images of Text and its implications, and we’ll explore other success criteria that have important implications for common design choices (such as carousels). WCAG 2.2 AA is absolutely achievable, but it does require unlearning some of the ableism that permeates the web.

After the presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Describe requirements under WCAG Guideline 1.2 Time-based Media and plan accordingly.
2. Explain WCAG 1.4.5 Images of Text and its higher-level implications for organizations.
3. Identify other WCAG 2.2 AA requirements with implications for common design choices (such as carousels).