How to Meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

How to Meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines teaches you how to pass every guideline from the web’s most powerful accessibility standards. 

The book covers each guideline in detail, including:

• background to help you understand the context
• how to pass
• any exceptions
• tips and tricks to make your life easier
• shortcuts to meeting multiple guidelines together.
  
  

WCAG and web accessibility can seem daunting

While everyone seems to agree web accessibility is important, not enough developers know how to incorporate it into their builds.

That’s because it’s often presented in dense and dry language, with all the options you can imagine included in the passing criteria.

That’s not the fault of the W3C (the group who author and maintain the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Their job is to make sure that every facet of the guidelines – every method to pass or fail them – is written down and referenceable.

But if the guidelines are already written down and available online, why isn’t it part of every developer’s stack?

Developers – like you – are busy and under pressure to deliver. You don’t have time to go and research the twenty ways you could pass a guideline – you need one way that will work.

That’s where I come in. I’ve taught thousands of developers web accessibility since 2012. In my book, I have reviewed every guideline and slimmed it down to a few simple points to ensure that you can build an accessible website without adding endlessly to your project.

You want to build accessible websites; this book shows you how.

Introducing ‘How to Meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines’

I’m Luke and I’m a teacher. I take complicated ideas and make them simple.

Since 2012, I’ve taught thousands of developers how to build accessible websites that meet WCAG. Some were building complex eCommerce websites, others government and university websites and some just wanted their personal projects more accessible.

Web accessibility isn’t easy. Deciding which of WCAG’s three conformance levels and which techniques to use to pass them needs experience.

You need to know:

• Why the guideline exists – what problem is it trying to solve for users?
• How to pass the guideline – in simple terms, using HTML wherever possible
• What to ignore – what types of content are exempt from the guideline?
• Tips to tackle multiple guidelines together
  

My book uses these headings as a simple structure to explain how you can pass every guideline.

You don’t need to learn every technique for meeting every guideline at every level. You need to know how to make your website accessible – whether you’re starting a new build or reviewing something that’s already live.

The best way to do that is lean on the experience of someone who has been teaching web accessibility and WCAG for over a decade. That’s exactly what I’ve put into my book.

Learn once and apply the guidelines to your work forever

I’ve written a workbook you can follow for every future project. Whether you know which level of conformance you need to meet or are deciding for yourself, you’ll see which guidelines apply (and which don’t) and be able to work your way through them each time.

No matter how many websites you create that follow WCAG, you’ll always be able to refer back to the book to ensure you have checked off everything you need to.

Two versions of the book also come with lifetime updates. Whenever the W3C change the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or I make improvements to the book, you’ll have the most up-to-date version.

WCAG changes are rare, but when they happen (such as the move from 2.0 to 2.1 and now 2.2) you won’t have to go and buy another book for as long as I’m writing about them.

I also tend to upgrade the book and packages over time, from reader feedback or when I find a better way to pass a guideline. This isn’t designed to be a static reference, but to change as WCAG and web accessibility changes.

What about getting started?

I know that for some people, a book full of answers isn’t enough. It’ll sit on your computer with good intentions but no actions. That’s why I’ve also built an email course to help you through the guidelines until you’ve reached Level AA (the most common standard).

The email course prompts you to focus on one guideline in each lesson – taking the chapters of the book and delivering them in smaller pieces.

By focusing on Level AA, it’s able to remove any duplicated effort and show you the shortest way to compliance.

The course also comes with a private Discord server, where you can talk with your fellow learners to help each other tackle real-world projects, share ideas and get feedback on your work.

How much does it cost?

There are three single-licences packages to choose from, depending on your needs and how much help you think you’ll need in getting started.

If you’re looking for a team licence, check out the FAQs below.

Static Package - $99

• How to Meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
  • PDF version
  • Kindle version
  • Epub version
    

Update Package - $149

• How to Meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
• PDF version
• Kindle version
• Epub version
• Lifetime updates for as long as I’m writing about WCAG
  

Course Package - $299

• How to Meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
• PDF version
• Kindle version
• Epub version
• Lifetime updates for as long as I’m writing about WCAG
• Email course to guide you step-by-step to WCAG Level AA compliance
• Access to a private Discord server with me and your course mates

Guarantee

All purchases have a 30-day 100% money-back guarantee with no questions asked. If the package you buy isn’t what you were expecting, all you have to do is reply to your receipt email within 30 days and you’ll get a full refund.

If you’re not happy, I don’t want to keep your money.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I have questions, will there be support?

Yes – you can email me questions about the guidelines or your projects. If you buy the Course package, you’ll also get access to a private Discord server with other developers.

Will the materials be updated?

Yes – if you buy the Update or Course Packages I will update them for free for as long as I am writing about web accessibility. I’ve been doing exactly that since 2012 and have no plans to stop.

How much of the book is covered on your website?

Most of the material in the book is available on wuhcag.com. I built the site to help developers before I created my book from the years of blogs I had written. The book is a great way to get all of that knowledge and information in once place that you can save and reference. Plus, with the Update and Course Packages, you’ll always have the latest version.

Do I need some knowledge of web accessibility or WCAG to understand the book and course?

No – the material is designed for all levels of experience. Whether this is your first time learning about WCAG or you’re looking to improve your knowledge, I think you’ll find the book and course useful.

Can I share the book and course?

No – the book and course are for your use only. If you would like to purchase a team licence, you can visit the team version page at https://gum.co/wcagteams.