Question: Should my company make WCAG AAA the standard for PDFs ~ Answer: Not necessarily

The PC Tech
Mar 8
2 min read

Updated: Oct 26

Summary:

Yes, while you can use the WCAG AAA criteria as a guide to aim for and include as much as possible, however, do not make it policy. Rather, go with the W3C recommendation of Level AA implementation.

Current Standard:

Due to be published as the standard in October 2025, WCAG 2.2 builds on the previous standard effective now, WCAG 2.1 AA.

Important Notes:

Remember WCAG criteria is targeted to web sites and web applications; all criteria may not be a good fit for PDF implementation.
Also, The WCAG document does not recommend that Level AAA conformance be required as a general policy for entire sites because it is not possible to satisfy all Level AAA success criteria for some content.
Each WCAG level builds on the previous level. In other words, to meet the requirements of Level AA, your content needs to follow all Level A and Level AA success criteria. To meet WCAG Level AAA, you’d need to follow all the success criteria included in the WCAG guidelines.
Websites that follow all Level AA success criteria are generally considered accessible for most users with disabilities. For example, in public statements and settlement agreements, the U.S. Department of Justice has referenced WCAG Level AA as a reasonable standard for following the accessibility requirements of the ADA. More simply, Level AA success criteria can help you stay compliant with the law.

Key Idea:

Disabilities impact people in a variety of ways, and even if a site fully conforms with WCAG 2.2 Level AAA, it may not be fully accessible to every individual user. When prioritizing accessibility remediations, remember that Level A and Level AA criteria will more noticeably affect your site’s overall accessibility.