By Webtech Nepal
When someone visits your website, they usually have a purpose. They may want to learn about your services, buy a product, fill out an application, or contact your team. A good website helps them do that easily.
But what happens when a visitor cannot read the text clearly, use a mouse, or hear the information in a video? Even a beautifully designed website can become difficult—or impossible—to use.
This is where web accessibility matters. It means paying attention to the different ways people access and use your website, and removing the barriers that get in their way.
What Is WCAG 2.2?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 are an internationally recognized standard developed by the World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C. They help website owners, designers, and developers make digital content more accessible to people with disabilities.
The guidelines cover a wide range of needs, including difficulties with vision, hearing, movement, and learning. They apply to websites and web applications used on desktop computers, mobile phones, and other devices. Although they cannot address every person’s needs, they provide a reliable foundation for improving accessibility.
Looking at Your Website from a Visitor’s Perspective
Imagine trying to complete an enquiry form using only a keyboard. You move through the fields, enter your details, and reach the end—only to find that you cannot select the submit button.
Or imagine listening to a page through a screen reader and hearing several links described only as “click here,” without knowing where any of them lead.
These small details can make a big difference. Clear link text, properly labelled forms, readable colours, and keyboard-friendly navigation help people use a website independently.
WCAG brings these needs together under four principles: information should be perceivable, features should be operable, content should be understandable, and the website should be robust enough to work with assistive technologies. In everyday terms, people need to be able to access the information, use the controls, understand what to do, and rely on their preferred tools.
What Has Changed in WCAG 2.2?
WCAG 2.2 adds nine success criteria to the previous version, WCAG 2.1, and removes the obsolete Parsing criterion. The additions address common frustrations that can make everyday online tasks unnecessarily difficult.
For example, someone navigating with a keyboard needs to see which button or link they have selected. At Level AA, that selected control must not be completely hidden behind content such as a sticky header or cookie banner.
The guidelines also address controls that are difficult to select. Buttons and other clickable targets must meet minimum size or spacing requirements, with certain exceptions. Where dragging is not essential, there should be a simple click or tap alternative.
Forms and login processes receive attention too. Users should generally be able to reuse information they have already entered during the same process. Authentication should accommodate people who find it difficult to remember or transcribe information. Allowing password managers and letting users paste their credentials can help.
These improvements aim to make familiar activities—logging in, completing a form, or choosing an option—more manageable.
Why Should Businesses in Nepal Care?
Your next website visitor could be a customer with low vision, a student who uses a screen reader, or someone with a hand injury who cannot use a mouse.
If they cannot access your services, they may have no choice but to leave.
For businesses, accessibility can help more people connect with their services. It can also improve usability and strengthen trust by showing that different customers’ needs have been considered. For schools, community organizations, and public-facing services, it supports a basic goal: making information and opportunities available to more people.
What Should Your Website Aim For?
WCAG has three levels: A, AA, and AAA. Each level includes the requirements of the one before it.
For many projects, WCAG 2.2 Level AA is a useful target to discuss with your development team. The important part is agreeing on that target early and understanding what it involves.
Adding a few accessibility features does not establish conformance. The applicable requirements must be met across full pages and complete processes, such as registration or online purchasing. Any claim that a website conforms to WCAG should be supported by a suitable evaluation.
Accessibility Needs More Than an Automated Check
Automated checks are helpful, but they cannot tell the whole story. A tool may detect a missing image description, for example, while a person needs to judge whether the description actually makes sense.
W3C advises evaluating accessibility early and throughout development. No automated tool alone can determine whether a website meets accessibility standards. Human review, keyboard testing, assistive technology checks, and feedback from people with disabilities all contribute to a more meaningful assessment.
The work also continues after launch. A new banner, booking form, document, or plugin can change how accessible a website is. Regular content reviews and maintenance help protect the progress already made.
Making Accessibility Part of Your Next Project
At Webtech, we work with businesses and organizations on website design, WordPress development, eCommerce platforms, custom web applications, and ongoing maintenance. These projects offer valuable opportunities to discuss accessibility from the beginning.
If you are planning a new website or updating an existing one, think about the people who will use it. Can they find what they need? Can they complete important tasks? Have you considered visitors who use a keyboard or screen reader?
Those questions are a good place to start.
Visit webtechnepal.com to discuss your next website project and how accessibility can form part of its requirements.
