WCAG 2.2: What Changed and What It Means for You

Nine new success criteria focus on cognitive accessibility, mobile and authentication. Here's a plain-language rundown.

WCAG 2.2 builds on 2.1 with nine additional success criteria, with a strong focus on users with cognitive and motor disabilities and on mobile interaction.

Highlights include Focus Not Obscured, which ensures focused elements aren't hidden behind sticky headers; Dragging Movements, which requires single-pointer alternatives to drag interactions; and Accessible Authentication, which discourages cognitive tests like remembering passwords without alternatives.

Target Size (Minimum) sets a practical minimum for touch targets, and Consistent Help ensures support mechanisms appear in a predictable place.

For most organizations, moving from 2.1 AA to 2.2 AA is incremental rather than a rebuild — but the new criteria catch real barriers, and regulators are already referencing 2.2.