WCAG 2.2: what changed from 2.1, and what a machine can test
WCAG 2.2 adds six criteria at levels A and AA. Our automated checks cover target size; manual testing is needed across the new requirements.
Automated accessibility checks, with findings and fixes recorded.
We check our sitemap pages for accessibility issues before release and record the findings and fixes. A separate report checks additional rules. This case shows what the automated checks cover and what still needs human testing.
Why our own site
A buyer in government, health or a nonprofit often has to show that a supplier's work meets WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508. The first proof we can offer is our own website, checked the way we check a client's.
What the checks do
Three release checks and a separate report load each sitemap page in a browser. The gate fails a release on any WCAG 2.1 AA or Section 508 violation that axe-core can find. The separate report tests additional AAA and WCAG 2.2 AA rules without blocking a release. Two checks of our own inspect page structure and Chrome’s accessibility tree. They check names, roles and order, rather than listening to a screen reader.
What they cannot test
Machines test only part of WCAG. No check here drives a whole task by keyboard, zooms a page to 400%, submits a form with errors, or tests the reduced-motion setting. Nor does this page rest on a test by a person using a screen reader, or on an independent audit. Our accessibility statement says the same, and lists what is tested.
What a client receives
An audit for a client is a fixed-scope first step. It brings a senior review of the website or product, a written report with prioritised actions, and a follow-up session with the team. It is one of three audits on our consulting page, and if the client goes on to build with us, the fee is credited against that work. Read a sample report, written about this website.
What the checks found, and what changed
The dates and counts come from the site's own history. Each fix went live with the change that made it.
A gate that stops a release
On 6 September 2026 we added the first check. It loads every page in the sitemap and tests it against WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508. On its first run it found two contrast failures, at 3.14:1 and 4.08:1. The same change raised them to 5.80:1 and 5.11:1.
Each check, and what it found when it first ran. View image full size Checks for names, structure and reading order
On 9 September we added checks for page structure and Chrome's accessibility tree, including headings, control names and the skip link. They found duplicated headings and a logo outside the keyboard path. The tree check found 315 issues on 46 pages, including 174 figures without useful names. These checks cannot reproduce what each screen reader announces.
An extract from the contact page’s accessibility tree. View image full size Past AA, towards AAA
The gate checks automated AA rules. AAA asks more, including small text at 7:1 against its background. In October we measured the AAA rules a machine can test and found 19 failures, all small text below 7:1. Each colour moved to a darker shade already in the colour system, with no new colour added.
Two of the colours, before and after. View image full size