WCAG 2.2 Compliance Audit Template

WCAG 2.2, published in October 2023, adds 9 new success criteria to WCAG 2.1: focus not obscured (2.4.11, 2.4.12), dragging movements (2.5.7), target size minimum (2.5.8), consistent help (3.2.6), redundant entry (3.3.7), accessible authentication (3.3.8, 3.3.9). It also removed 4.1.1 (Parsing) as it is no longer relevant with modern browsers. All WCAG 2.1 criteria remain in 2.2, so a WCAG 2.2 audit covers 2.1 as well. The [accessibility compliance template](/templates/accessibility-compliance-template) maps these criteria to specific legal requirements.

For a medium-sized SaaS product with 10-15 distinct page templates and 3-5 core user flows, plan for 30-60 hours of auditor time across 2-3 weeks. Automated scanning (axe, Lighthouse) takes 1-2 hours and covers about 30-40% of criteria. The remaining 60-70% require manual testing with keyboard navigation, screen readers, and visual inspection. A focused audit of a single feature takes 8-16 hours.

No. Automated tools cover approximately 30-40% of WCAG success criteria. They catch: missing alt text, contrast failures, missing form labels, invalid ARIA, duplicate IDs, and missing language attributes. They cannot evaluate: whether alt text is meaningful, whether heading hierarchy is logical, whether reading order makes sense, whether focus management is correct, or whether error messages are helpful. Manual testing is required for the majority of criteria. The [assistive tech testing template](/templates/assistive-tech-testing-template) covers the manual testing protocols.

Target Level AA. It is the legal requirement in the US (ADA), EU (EN 301 549), Canada (AODA), UK (Equality Act), and most other jurisdictions. Level A alone is insufficient: it allows inaccessible color contrast and does not require visible focus indicators. Level AAA is aspirational: some criteria (like 7:1 contrast for all text) are impractical for most products. Level AA provides a strong, achievable baseline.

Three practices prevent regression. First, integrate automated scanning into CI/CD so new code is checked before merging. Second, include accessibility criteria in the definition of done for every user story. Third, schedule quarterly manual audits (smaller in scope than the initial audit) to catch issues that accumulate over time. The [a11y roadmap template](/templates/a11y-roadmap-template) covers the long-term planning for maintaining and improving conformance.