WCAG 2.2 for healthcare: requirements, priorities, and audit checklist

Does WCAG 2.2 apply to healthcare sites?

WCAG 2.2 (pronounced 'wuh-cag 2.2') is the World Wide Web Consortium's globally adopted standard for web accessibility, published October 2023, defining 87 testable success criteria organised under four principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust.

Healthcare accessibility — the lay of the land

HHS's May 2024 final rule under Section 1557 explicitly requires healthcare entities receiving federal funding to conform to WCAG 2.1 AA for web content, mobile apps, and kiosks. Compounding this, HIPAA places privacy constraints on accessibility solutions (overlays cannot legally re-transmit patient health information).

Where WCAG 2.2 bites hardest in healthcare sites

• Patient portal logins without screen-reader-accessible MFA

• Telehealth video without captions or sign-language interpreter integration

• Symptom checkers built as inaccessible single-page apps

• PDF clinical forms not tagged for accessibility

• Appointment scheduling calendars unusable by keyboard

Remediation priorities

• Patient-portal login and account management

• Appointment scheduling and telehealth flows

• Clinical content (medication info, treatment guides)

• Provider directories and search

• Insurance forms and benefits explanations

How to comply with WCAG 2.2 on a Healthcare site

1. Establish scope and baseline: Inventory every public-facing digital property. Run an automated baseline scan to detect the ~25–30% of WCAG criteria that machines can reliably check.

2. Manual + assistive-technology audit: Engage IAAP-credentialed auditors to test the remaining ~70% of criteria — keyboard, screen reader (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver), zoom and cognitive criteria.

3. Remediate at source: Fix issues in source code, not via overlay widgets. Train developers; integrate axe-core into CI; track open issues in JIRA or Linear.

4. Publish an accessibility statement: Disclose conformance level, known limitations, contact for accessibility feedback, and remediation timelines. Required under EAA and best-practice under ADA.

5. Monitor and re-test: Re-audit quarterly. Re-test before every major release. Keep an internal VPAT/ACR current and post it publicly.

Sources

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 — W3C
• WCAG 2 Overview — W3C WAI
• What's New in WCAG 2.2 — W3C WAI
• Test Evaluating Web Accessibility — W3C WAI
• HHS Section 1557 Final Rule (Web Accessibility) — US HHS Office for Civil Rights