Posted by: Adam Weston
08 June 2025
Digital accessibility is not just about whether your platform is compliant; it's about how deeply accessibility is woven into your design, development and content practices.
WCAG 2.2 AA is the benchmark and while the official enforcement milestone is for mid-2025, the real message is simpler: accessibility is no longer a feature it's the foundation.
In this post, we'll highlight what WCAG 2.2 means in practice, what's changed from previous versions, and how to make accessibility a sustainable part of your digital strategy.
Accessibility has matured. Has your platform?
Accessibility used to be a compliance job at the end of a project. Something scoped late, tested lightly and often forgotten.
But WCAG 2.2 reflects a much broader shift in expectation from both regulators and users. With tighter rules around mobile interactions and cognitive load, this latest update demands more than just screen reader support. It pushes organisations to think about how interfaces behave across every device, user and scenario.
It's about doing better for everyone who uses your platform, especially those who've historically been excluded.
What's new in WCAG 2.2?
WCAG 2.2 builds on the 2.1 standard, keeping everything that came before but adding nine new success criteria that prioritise:
- Better keyboard navigation
- Lower cognitive load
- More usable mobile experiences
- Consistency in help and support
While these additions are not brand new, they do reflect a deeper awareness of how digital services can unintentionally exclude users with cognitive or motor impairments, even when they meet basic visual or contrast requirements.
Take Focus Not Obscured, for example. It ensures that keyboard users don't lose sight of their current position on the page or Accessible Authentication, which stops platforms from relying on puzzles or memory tricks to log in.
These are small changes in code, but they result in massive shifts in usability.
Read the full breakdown: NHS Digital – What's New in WCAG 2.2
A practical example: AOP's Accessibility by Design
When we worked with a large public sector project, accessibility wasn't a post-launch job. It was a core requirement from day one because their users depended on it.
The result is a platform that exceeds expectations.
We built:
- A server-side rendered interface to ensure assistive technologies get everything they need before JavaScript takes over.
- Dynamic content filtering and pagination that utilises live ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) updates, ensuring screen readers don't skip a beat.
- A fully accessible, keyboard-friendly flow with no cognitive barriers at any interaction point.
This project also marked a significant first as one of the earliest full WCAG 2.2 AA implementations in Greece, aligning with Law 4727/2020, which transposes the European Accessibility Act into national legislation.
Our development team didn't just follow guidelines. They challenged assumptions about what was possible, and in doing so raised the bar for everything we build.
This is a Europe-wide and UK requirement.
As of June 2025, WCAG 2.2 AA will become the enforcement standard not only in the UK but also across the entire EU under the European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882).
This applies to:
- Public sector bodies
- Banks and financial services
- Transport providers
- E-commerce platforms
- Media and publishing platforms
Whether you're working with local government in the UK or delivering pan-European digital services, your platform will need to meet the same standard. How the enforcement pans out is something we'll review as it happens.
Explore local implementation: WAI Policy Map – Europe.
Accessibility is strategic, not just technical.
This isn't about passing a checklist. It's about recognising accessibility as a core pillar of digital maturity. Similarly, if you prioritise performance, security or data privacy, accessibility should also be on that list.
What WCAG 2.2 offers is a clearer blueprint for what great digital service looks like. When baked into your CMS or platform early, it doesn't slow you down; it streamlines the user experience, improves SEO and enhances maintainability.
That's the mindset we bring to accessibility at DotSee.
What you can do now
If you're planning a rebuild or CMS upgrade or want to avoid future accessibility debt, here's where we recommend starting:
- Review your current platform against WCAG 2.2. Don't rely solely on automated tests; human input is also important.
- Identify high-risk areas: Forms, login flows, navigation, and dynamic content are common failure points.
- Involve accessibility early: The further down the line you go, the harder it is to retrofit.
- Speak to a partner who knows the territory: If you need to meet WCAG 2.2 – we'll help you do it right.
Where do we go from here?
We're collaborating with public service teams, financial platforms, and digital leaders to create sites that are prepared for what's next, not just what's required today. WCAG 2.2 represents a direction of travel that's more inclusive.
Let's build it right.
- Talk to us about accessibility
- Book an audit or discovery call
- Explore our accessibility and CMS services
