https://adrianboysel.com/assets/BlogWcag22Requirements-DR1V6ilu.js

1import{r as m,j as e,N as g,F as a,b as f,L as o,B as b}from"./index-BWLWF2Sb.js";import{S as A}from"./SiteFooter-egFf43S5.js";import{B as w}from"./Breadcrumbs-DF_GIfyW.js";import{P as y}from"./PageMeta-DjdzYK7E.js";import{B as j}from"./BlogViewCounter-BkC0zJcs.js";import{A as v,a as C}from"./AdaClusterLinks-8FCpbdvD.js";import{S as N}from"./ScanCtaBanner-PLkgxS49.js";import{C as k}from"./calendar-days-8gYzMJgg.js";import{S as W}from"./shield-alert-CIVxny85.js";import{D as G}from"./download-EaZcWP9u.js";import"./linkedin-mOXYkWOx.js";import"./chevron-right-BOeUCvlx.js";import"./eye-BsIWxKqm.js";import"./input-BjDNHiyc.js";import"./circle-check-big-w8ZuITgG.js";import"./file-text-YFzjDo-H.js";import"./arrow-right-CEtjL7h9.js";import"./shield-check-DYSZ3BCp.js";const r="/blog/wcag-2-2-aa-requirements-law-firms-2026",l=`https://adrianboysel.com${r}`,d="2026-07-17",h="/og/og-blog-wcag-2-2-aa-requirements-law-firms-2026.jpg",p="WCAG 2.2 AA for Law Firms: The 9 New Success Criteria That Matter (2026)",x="WCAG 2.2 shipped in October 2023 and added nine new success criteria on top of WCAG 2.1 AA. Plaintiff's scanners now test against 2.2 AA, not 2.1. Here are the nine criteria — focus visibility, dragging alternatives, accessible authentication, target size — mapped to a law firm's real pages.",S=[{q:"What is the difference between WCAG 2.1 AA and WCAG 2.2 AA for a law firm website?",a:"WCAG 2.1 AA is the federal DOJ baseline that most law firm sites target. WCAG 2.2 AA, published October 5, 2023, added nine additional success criteria — focus not obscured, focus appearance, dragging movements, target size, consistent help, redundant entry, accessible authentication, and page-break navigation. Plaintiff's scanning firms have updated their tests to WCAG 2.2 AA and now cite the newer criteria in demand letters."},{q:"Which WCAG 2.2 criteria show up most often in law firm complaints?",a:"2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), 2.5.7 Dragging Movements, 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum), and 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) are the four most frequently cited new criteria. All four are easy to violate with off-the-shelf templates and modal-heavy sites."},{q:"Do I have to comply with WCAG 2.2 AA or just 2.1 AA?",a:"The DOJ's April 2024 Title II regulation for state and local government sites explicitly references WCAG 2.1 AA. Title III (private businesses, including law firms) has no fixed technical standard, but federal courts have consistently referenced WCAG as the operative benchmark. Plaintiff's counsel now argues WCAG 2.2 AA because it is the current published standard — and courts have not rejected that argument. Building to 2.2 AA is the safer forward-looking target."},{q:"What is 'accessible authentication' and how does it affect a law firm client portal?",a:"WCAG 2.2's SC 3.3.8 says users must be able to authenticate without a cognitive function test unless there is an alternative or a mechanism to help. In practice: no CAPTCHA-only login, no memory puzzles, no image-selection tests without an accessible alternative. Client portals using CAPTCHA on login without a bypass violate this criterion."},{q:"What is 'target size' and why does it matter for law firm mobile menus?",a:"SC 2.5.8 requires interactive targets to be at least 24×24 CSS pixels, with exceptions for inline text links. Most law firm mobile navigation drawers ship with hit areas smaller than 24px — the padding looks visually correct but the actual clickable area is smaller. This is one of the fastest fixes and one of the most commonly missed."},{q:"Do the WCAG 2.2 criteria affect my Statement of Accessibility?",a:"Yes. A defensible Statement of Accessibility in 2026 names WCAG 2.2 Level AA as the target standard, lists the audit date, names a human contact, and commits to a 48–72 hour response window on accessibility requests. Referencing an older WCAG version in your Statement is a plaintiff's exhibit, not a defense."}],T={"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BlogPosting",headline:p,description:x,url:l,datePublished:d,dateModified:d,inLanguage:"en-US",author:{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://adrianboysel.com/#person",name:"Adrian Boysel",url:"https://adrianboysel.com/origin"},publisher:{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://adrianboysel.com/#organization",name:"Adrian Boysel",url:"https://adrianboysel.com",logo:{"@type":"ImageObject",url:"https://adrianboysel.com/og-image.jpg"}},mainEntityOfPage:{"@type":"WebPage","@id":l},image:`https://adrianboysel.com${h}`,keywords:"wcag 2.2 aa law firm, wcag 2.2 requirements, wcag 2.2 vs 2.1, wcag 2.2 attorney website, accessible authentication law firm, target size wcag"},I={"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList",itemListElement:[{"@type":"ListItem",position:1,name:"Home",item:"https://adrianboysel.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem",position:2,name:"Blog",item:"https://adrianboysel.com/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem",position:3,name:"WCAG 2.2 AA for Law Firms",item:l}]},B=[{id:"2.4.11",name:"Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)",level:"AA",firm:"Cookie banners and 'chat with an attorney' widgets that float over form fields hide the focused element from keyboard users. Move them, resize them, or dismiss them on focus."},{id:"2.4.12",name:"Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced)",level:"AAA",firm:"AAA — not required, but a good bar if you rebuild anyway. The focused element must never be obscured."},{id:"2.4.13",name:"Focus Appearance",level:"AAA",firm:"AAA — minimum contrast ratio and area for focus indicators. Aim for a solid 2px outline in the primary color; most attorney templates ship with focus disabled."},{id:"2.5.7",name:"Dragging Movements",level:"AA",firm:"Any drag-based interaction (a slider on 'years of experience', a testimonial carousel drag control) must have a single-pointer alternative. Add clickable prev/next buttons."},{id:"2.5.8",name:"Target Size (Minimum)",level:"AA",firm:"24×24 CSS pixels minimum for interactive targets. Mobile hamburger menus, close-icons, and social-share icons are the frequent offenders on attorney sites."}

1,{id:"3.2.6",name:"Consistent Help",level:"A",firm:"'Contact us' and help mechanisms must appear in the same relative order across pages. Do not move your phone number from the header on the homepage to the footer on interior pages."},{id:"3.3.7",name:"Redundant Entry",level:"A",firm:"In a multi-step intake form, do not make the client re-enter data they already provided. Auto-populate, or offer to."},{id:"3.3.8",name:"Accessible Authentication (Minimum)",level:"AA",firm:"No cognitive function tests on login (CAPTCHA, memory puzzles, image selection) unless there is an accessible alternative like email magic link or SSO. Applies to every client portal."},{id:"3.3.9",name:"Accessible Authentication (Enhanced)",level:"AAA",firm:"AAA — no cognitive tests at all. Passwordless or SSO only. High bar, but the direction the industry is moving."}],Q=()=>{const[u,c]=m.useState(!1);return m.useEffect(()=>{const t=(i,n)=>{let s=document.getElementById(i);s||(s=document.createElement("script"),s.id=i,s.type="application/ld+json",document.head.appendChild(s)),s.textContent=JSON.stringify(n)};return t("article-schema",T),t("breadcrumb-schema",I),()=>{var i,n;(i=document.getElementById("article-schema"))==null||i.remove(),(n=document.getElementById("breadcrumb-schema"))==null||n.remove()}},[]),e.jsxs("div",{className:"min-h-screen bg-[hsl(var(--dark))] text-white",children:[e.jsx(y,{title:p,description:x,path:r,ogImage:h,ogImageAlt:"WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria diagram with focus rings, target-size hit areas, and accessible authentication icons — mapped over a law firm website wireframe on dark indigo.",ogType:"article",faqs:S,robots:"index, follow"}),e.jsx(g,{}),e.jsx(w,{items:[{label:"Blog",path:"/blog"},{label:"WCAG 2.2 AA for Law Firms"}]}),e.jsxs("article",{className:"px-4 sm:px-6",children:[e.jsx("header",{className:"mx-auto max-w-3xl pt-12 pb-10 sm:pt-20 sm:pb-16",children:e.jsxs(a,{children:[e.jsxs("div",{className:"flex flex-wrap items-center gap-3 text-xs text-white/70 font-mono uppercase tracking-widest mb-6",children:[e.jsx("span",{className:"rounded-full border border-primary/40 bg-primary/10 px-3 py-1 text-primary",children:"WCAG 2.2"}),e.jsx("span",{className:"rounded-full border border-accent/40 bg-accent/10 px-3 py-1 text-accent",children:"Standards"}),e.jsx("span",{className:"rounded-full border border-white/20 bg-white/5 px-3 py-1 text-white/70",children:"Attorney Marketing"})]}),e.jsx("h1",{className:"font-heading text-3xl font-black uppercase tracking-tight sm:text-5xl text-white leading-[1.08]",children:"WCAG 2.2 AA for Law Firms: The 9 New Success Criteria That Matter"}),e.jsx("p",{className:"mt-6 text-lg sm:text-xl text-white/70 leading-relaxed",children:"WCAG 2.2 shipped in October 2023 and plaintiff's scanners now test against it. WCAG 2.1 AA is no longer the ceiling — it is the floor. Here are the nine new criteria and exactly what each one means for a working law firm website."}),e.jsxs("div",{className:"mt-6 flex flex-wrap items-center gap-5 text-sm text-white/70",children:[e.jsxs("span",{className:"flex items-center gap-1.5",children:[e.jsx(k,{className:"h-4 w-4"})," July 17, 2026"]}),e.jsxs("span",{className:"flex items-center gap-1.5",children:[e.jsx(f,{className:"h-4 w-4"})," 10 min read"]}),e.jsx(j,{path:r}),e.jsxs("span",{children:["By ",e.jsx(o,{to:"/origin",className:"text-primary font-semibold hover:underline",children:"Adrian Boysel"})]})]})]})}),e.jsxs("div",{className:"mx-auto max-w-3xl pb-20 space-y-14",children:[e.jsx(a,{children:e.jsx("aside",{className:"rounded-2xl border border-primary/30 bg-primary/5 p-6 sm:p-8",children:e.jsxs("div",{className:"flex items-start gap-3",children:[e.jsx(W,{className:"h-6 w-6 text-primary shrink-0 mt-1"}),e.jsxs("div",{children:[e.jsx("p",{className:"font-heading text-xs uppercase tracking-widest text-primary mb-2",children:"Standard status, October 2023 → 2026"}),e.jsx("p",{className:"text-white/80 leading-relaxed text-sm sm:text-base",children:"WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on October 5, 2023. It adds nine success criteria on top of WCAG 2.1 while carrying every existing 2.1 criterion forward unchanged. If your firm's site targets WCAG 2.1 AA today, you are missing the nine additions plaintiff's counsel is now naming in complaints."})]})]})})}),e.jsx(a,{children:e.jsxs("section",{className:"space-y-5 text-white/80 leading-relaxed text-[15px] sm:text-base",children:[e.jsx("h2",{className:"font-heading text-2xl font-black uppercase tracking-tight text-white sm:text-3xl",children:"Why WCAG 2.2 AA matters for law firms specifically"}),e.jsxs("p",{children:["Law firm websites carry three properties that make the WCAG 2.2 additions especially load-bearing: they use modal-heavy consultation flows (impacts ",e.jsx("em",{children:"focus not obscured"})," and ",e.jsx("em",{children:"target size"}),"), they lean on chat widgets and cookie banners (",e.jsx("em",{children:"focus not obscured"})," again), and many run client portals with CAPTCHA-based authentication (",e.jsx("em",{children:"accessible authentication"}),")."]}),e.jsx("p",{children:"None of these were violations under WCAG 2.1 AA. All of them are violations under 2.2 AA. That is the delta plaintiff's scanning firms are monetizing right now."})]})}),e.jsx(a,{children:e.jsxs("section",{children:[e.jsx("h2",{className:"font-heading text-2xl font-black uppercase tracking-tight text-white sm:text-3xl mb-6",children:"The nine new success criteria, translated to a law firm's site"}),e.jsx("div",{className:"space-y-3",children:B.map(t=>e.jsxs("div",{className:"rounded-xl border border-white/10 bg-white/[0.03] p-5",children:[e.jsxs("div",{className:"flex flex-wrap items-center gap-3 mb-2",children:[e.jsxs("span",{className:"font-mono text-xs text-primary bg-primary/10 border border-primary/30 rounded px-2 py-0.5",children:["SC ",t.id]}),e.jsx("span",{className:"font-heading text-base font-bold text-white uppercase tracking-tight",children:t.name}),e.jsxs("span",{className:`font-mono text-[10px] px-2 py-0.5 rounded border ${t.level==="AA"?"text-primary border-primary/40 bg-primary/10":t.level==="A"?"text-emerald-400 border-emerald-500/40 bg-emerald-500/10":"text-white/75 border-white/20 bg-white/5"}`,children:["Level ",t.level]})]}),e.jsx("p",{className:"text-sm text-white/75 leading-relaxed",children:t.firm})]},t.id))})]})}),e.jsx(a,{children:e.jsx("section",{className:"rounded-2xl border border-primary/40 bg-gradient-to-br from-primary/10 to-transparent p-8",children:e.jsxs("div",{className:"flex flex-col md:flex-row md:items-center gap-6 justify-between",children:[e.jsxs("div",{children:[e.jsx("p",{className:"eyebrow text-primary text-xs",children:"Free · 2026 Edition · PDF"}),e.jsx("h3",{className:"font-heading text-2xl font-black uppercase text-white mt-2",children:"Score your site against WCAG 2.2 AA in 10 minutes"}),e.jsx("p",{className:"text-white/70 mt-2 max-w-xl",children:"The 17-check self-audit — updated for the nine new WCAG 2.2 success criteria, no fluff."})]}),e.jsxs(b,{variant:"outline-dark",size:"lg",className:"btn-glow shrink-0",onClick:()=>c(!0),children:[e.jsx(G,{className:"mr-1.5 h-4 w-4"})," Get the Checklist"]})]})})}),e.jsx(a,{children:e.jsxs("section",{className:"space-y-5 text-white/80 leading-relaxed text-[15px] sm:text-base",children:[e.jsx("h2",{className:"font-heading text-2xl font-black uppercase tracking-tight text-white sm:text-3xl",children:"Implementation order for law firm sites"}),e.jsxs("ol",{className:"space-y-3 list-decimal pl-6",children:[e.jsxs("li",{children:[e.jsx("strong",{className:"text-white",children:"Kill floating widgets that obscure focus."}),` Chat, cookie banner, "we're open" bubble. Dismiss on focus, or reposition below the fold. Fixes 2.4.11.`]}),e.jsxs("li",{children:[e.jsx("strong",{className:"text-white",children:"Audit hit areas."})," Every icon-only button — hamburger, close, social — needs to be 24×24 minimum. Fixes 2.5.8."]}),e.jsxs("li",{children:[e.jsx("strong",{className:"text-white",children:"Rebuild any drag interaction with a pointer alternative."}),' Testimonial carousels, "years of experience" sliders. Fixes 2.5.7.']}),e.jsxs("li",{children:[e.jsx("strong",{className:"text-white",children:"Replace CAPTCHA logins with magic link, SSO, or CAPTCHA + bypass."})," Fixes 3.3.8."]}),e.jsxs("li",{children:[e.jsx("strong",{className:"text-white",children:"Update your Statement of Accessibility"})," to name WCAG 2.2 Level AA as the target standard, with the audit date."]}),e.jsxs("li",{children:[e.jsx("strong",{className:"text-white",children:"Add axe-core to CI"})," so a future template change does not silently reintroduce a 2.2 failure."]})]}),e.jsxs("p",{children:["For the underlying legal exposure model, see ",e.jsx(o,{to:"/blog/ada-website-compliance-lawsuits-attorneys-2026",className:"text-primary hover:underline",children:"the pillar article on ADA website compliance for law firms"}),". For why overlays cannot solve any of the nine 2.2 criteria, see ",e.jsx(o,{to:"/blog/ada-website-overlay-lawsuits-2026",className:"text-primary hover:underline",children:"accessibility overlay lawsuits"}),"."]})]})}),e.jsx(a,{children:e.jsx(N,{source:"blog-wcag22"})}),e.jsx(a,{children:e.jsx(v,{currentPath:r})})]})]}),e.jsx(C,{open:u,onClose:()=>c(!1),sourcePage:r}),e.jsx(A,{})]})};export{Q as default};