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The WCAG 2.1 AA Checklist for Small Businesses

WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the technical standard courts and the DOJ point to when judging whether a website is accessible. Here it is in plain English, grouped the way the guidelines are: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust.

Perceivable

Provide text alternatives (alt text) for images. Add captions to video. Don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning. Maintain a text contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text. Make sure content reflows and stays readable at 200% zoom.

Operable

Everything must work with a keyboard alone — no mouse required — with no "keyboard traps". Give users enough time, avoid content that flashes more than three times per second, provide clear page titles and a logical focus order, and make link purpose clear from the link text.

Understandable

Declare the page language. Make navigation consistent across pages. Label every form field, and when an input error occurs, identify it in text and suggest a correction.

Robust

Use valid, well-structured HTML so assistive technologies can parse it. Give custom widgets correct names, roles, and values (usually via ARIA) so screen readers can announce them.

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