The digital landscape is shifting. For nearly three decades, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have served as the framework for leveling the digital playing field. But as technology leaps from static pages to AI-driven interfaces and immersive VR, our approach to inclusion must leap with it.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is currently developing WCAG 3.0—a reimagining of how we build a web that truly works for everyone.
While this new standard represents a visionary shift, it is important to remember that it is currently a working draft. Today, the legal benchmark for ADA compliance remains conformance with WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 Level AA.
In this guide, we’ll explore what’s changing and how you can prepare for the future of digital inclusion.
Important note: The information in this article is based on publicly available W3C drafts and discussions as of 2026. They should not be considered final until WCAG 3.0 reaches official Recommendation status.
But first, what are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines?
To understand the weight of WCAG 3.0, it is essential to first look at the body and standards that have defined the industry for decades. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the international standards organization for the internet. Through its Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), the W3C develops the essential protocols and guidelines that ensure the web remains open and usable for all.
The guidelines they produce, known as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), have served as the foundation for digital accessibility for nearly two decades.
Since the landmark release of WCAG 2.0 in 2008, these standards have evolved to keep pace with emerging technology:
- WCAG 2.0 (2008): Established the core framework of 61 success criteria.
- WCAG 2.1 (2018): Expanded the scope to address accessibility for mobile devices and users with low vision or cognitive disabilities.
- WCAG 2.2 (2023): The most recent formal recommendation, adding nine criteria to further improve inclusivity for users with mobility and cognitive challenges.
WCAG has a deciding impact on legislation around the world, acting as the primary benchmark for digital rights for the Americans with Disabilities (ADA), theEuropean Accessibility Act (EAA), and other laws.
To learn more about WCAG, we recommend you check out the following sources:
- What is WCAG?
- The ultimate guide to WCAG: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
- What you need to know about WCAG 2.2
- The ultimate WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 Level AA checklist
- ADA vs. WCAG: What's the difference?
What is WCAG 3.0?
Though it shares a name with its predecessors, WCAG 3.0 is a complete structural overhaul of digital accessibility standards. Often referred to by its project name, "Silver"—a nod to the chemical symbol for Ag (Accessibility Guidelines)—this new standard is proposed to be more flexible, easier to understand, and better suited for the modern digital landscape.
While WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 are a collection of success criteria used to audit web pages, WCAG 3.0 is a broader framework that reimagines the entire process of measuring inclusion.
What will WCAG 3.0 actually look like?
The structural shift in WCAG 3.0 is designed to move accessibility away from a static "checklist" and toward a functional system that can keep up with rapid technical changes.
Instead of the success criteria we use today, the new standard is built around a hierarchy of Guidelines, Outcomes, and Methods:
- Guidelines: These are high-level, plain-language goals—like "Clear language"—that describe the "why" behind a requirement in a way that anyone from a developer to a CEO can understand. This is a visionary departure from the WCAG 2.x approach, which often buries similar human-centric goals under technical headers like "3.1.5 Reading Level" or "3.1.3 Unusual Words."
- Outcomes: Replacing the traditional "Success Criteria," Outcomes are testable, functional results—such as "Text alternative is available for images that convey content"—that focus on whether a person can actually perceive the information. Unlike the rigid rules of WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2., an Outcome evaluates the success of the user experience rather than just the presence of a specific code snippet.
- Methods: These are the practical "how-to" instructions that explain how to meet an Outcome for specific tools, such as "Using the alt attribute in HTML" or "Using accessibilityLabel in React Native." In practical terms, WCAG 3.0 uses these modular instructions to provide specific guidance for websites, mobile apps, or even VR interfaces without needing to change the core Guideline.
Understanding the need for WCAG 3.0
The transition from the WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 series to 3.0 isn't just a routine update; it is a fundamental shift in how we define digital "adherence." While previous versions built upon one another like floors of a building—with 2.2 containing everything in 2.1 plus new additions—WCAG 3.0 is a new architecture entirely.
Moving beyond the pass/fail barrier
The most significant driver for WCAG 3.0 is the limitation of the current "all-or-nothing" model. In WCAG 2.2, accessibility is binary: your website either passes a technical requirement or it fails. This creates a "checkbox" culture where a single missing image description can technically make an entire page non-compliant, regardless of how much effort was put into the rest of the user experience.
WCAG 3.0 replaces this with a graded scoring system (0–4), allowing organizations to measure progress along a spectrum.
Instead of being "adherent" or "non-adherent," a product can be rated as "Fair," "Good," or "Excellent."
This nuanced approach rewards continuous improvement and provides a clearer roadmap for teams to follow as they work toward higher levels of inclusion.
A more human way to measure contrast
Another reason for this overhaul is that our current methods for measuring color contrast are outdated. The formula used in WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 is purely mathematical and doesn't always account for how the human eye actually perceives light and color on modern digital screens. This often leads to "false passes"—where colors meet the ratio but are still hard to read—or "false fails" that restrict accessible design unnecessarily.
To fix this, WCAG 3.0 is exploring the adoption of the Advanced Perceptual Contrast Algorithm (APCA).
This new model considers more than just hex codes; it factors in font size, font weight, and even the context of the background to provide a score that accurately reflects real-world readability.
Introducing Bronze, Silver, and Gold
For decades, the industry has relied on the A, AA, and AAA levels of conformance. WCAG 3.0 proposes a new tiered system that changes the definition of success:
- Bronze: This is the new baseline for accessibility, focusing on foundational technical requirements and critical errors. It is roughly equivalent to the current "Level AA" standard used in most legal frameworks today.
- Silver and Gold: Reaching these higher tiers will require more than just clean code. To earn Silver or Gold, organizations must move beyond automated testing and perform holistic evaluations. This involves testing with real users who have disabilities and ensuring that key tasks—like completing a purchase or filling out a form—are actually usable, not just technically "correct."
Future-proofing for new technology
The "Web" is no longer just a collection of pages. WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 were built primarily for browsers, but today’s digital world includes native mobile apps, smart home devices, and Virtual Reality (VR).
By becoming "technology-neutral," WCAG 3.0 ensures that accessibility isn't a separate set of rules for every new device, but a single, universal standard that protects a user's right to access information, no matter how they choose to connect.
When can we expect WCAG 3.0?
Despite the buzz, WCAG 3.0 is a massive, multi-year project and is currently a Working Draft. As of 2026, the W3C is still actively refining the scoring systems and new contrast models.
The industry does not expect WCAG 3.0 to reach "Recommendation" status (the final stage) until the late 2020s, likely between 2028 and 2030.
Because of this, WCAG 2.2 and 2.1 Level AA remains the operative legal benchmark for ADA compliance and international regulations today. Even when 3.0 is finalized, it will not immediately replace 2.2; the two will exist in parallel for years to allow for a smooth transition.
WCAG 2.2: The standard you should adhere to today
For businesses and organizations operating today, WCAG 2.2 Level AA is the definitive standard for digital adherence. It is the benchmark referenced by the Department of Justice for ADA Titles II and III, and the standard that underpins the European Accessibility Act (EAA), among other legislation.
Trusted by thousands of websites—from small businesses to global enterprises—accessiBe can help your organization navigate these complex requirements. Offering the best in AI automation, developer tools, and human expertise, accessiBe’s end-to-end platform will help you meet core guidelines and mitigate legal risk.
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