comparison
WCAG 2.2 vs ACA
WCAG 2.2 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2, Global (referenced by most national accessibility laws), 2023) and ACA (Accessible Canada Act, Canada — federally regulated entities, 2019) are two of the most-referenced accessibility frameworks in digital compliance. This guide compares them side by side — jurisdiction, scope, conformance approach, penalties, and how a single audit can cover both simultaneously.
What is WCAG 2.2?
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.
Maintainer
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Jurisdiction and enforcement
Global (referenced by most national accessibility laws). Referenced by ADA, EAA, Section 508, AODA and many others.
What is ACA?
The Accessible Canada Act (ACA, 2019) requires federally regulated entities — federal government, banks, telecom, broadcasting, transportation — to identify, remove and prevent accessibility barriers, with the explicit goal of "a Canada without barriers by 2040" and detailed regulations layered on top including the ICT regulations referencing EN 301 549.
Maintainer
Accessibility Standards Canada
Jurisdiction and enforcement
Canada — federally regulated entities. Accessibility Commissioner; CRTC for telecom; CTA for transportation.
WCAG 2.2 vs ACA — the key differences
The principal difference is jurisdictional: WCAG 2.2 applies in Global (referenced by most national accessibility laws), while ACA applies in Canada — federally regulated entities. WCAG 2.2 is maintained by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C); ACA is maintained by Accessibility Standards Canada. The standards differ on scope, conformance grading, and penalty structure — but a well-designed accessibility programme can satisfy both simultaneously by adopting the strictest applicable requirement and cross-mapping findings.
Scope
WCAG 2.2 covers: Web content, Mobile web, Web applications, PDF documents (with PDF/UA), EPUB publications. ACA covers: Federally regulated workplaces, Federal services (incl. digital), Federally regulated transportation and telecom.
Penalties
WCAG 2.2: United States: civil penalties under ADA Title III; demand letters typically settle at $3,000–$25,000; litigated cases can reach $50,000+ in attorney-fee awards. ACA: Administrative monetary penalties up to C$250,000 per violation.
How to comply with both at once
Adopt the stricter applicable conformance level — typically WCAG 2.2 Level AA — as your engineering baseline. Audit against that baseline once, then cross-map findings to both WCAG 2.2 and ACA specific requirements. A single Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) using VPAT 2.5 INT can document both.
When you might need just one
If you operate exclusively in Global (referenced by most national accessibility laws) and have no cross-border procurement exposure, you may only need WCAG 2.2. The same applies in reverse for ACA. For organisations selling cross-border, into the EU or US public sector, the safer default is to plan to both simultaneously.
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
- Accessible Canada Act — Government of Canada
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Cited answers. Sourced. Updated as standards and case law change.
Is WCAG 2.2 stricter than ACA?
Neither standard is uniformly "stricter" — they cover different regulatory domains. WCAG 2.2 is more prescriptive about web content; ACA about federally regulated workplaces. For organisations exposed to both, a unified WCAG 2.2 AA baseline typically satisfies the technical requirements of both.
Can a single audit satisfy WCAG 2.2 and ACA?
Yes. Both standards ultimately reference WCAG-aligned criteria. A combined audit with cross-mapped findings can produce documentation acceptable to both regulators.
Which jurisdictions enforce WCAG 2.2?
Global (referenced by most national accessibility laws). Referenced by ADA, EAA, Section 508, AODA and many others.
Which jurisdictions enforce ACA?
Canada — federally regulated entities. Accessibility Commissioner; CRTC for telecom; CTA for transportation.
What happens if I am not compliant with WCAG 2.2?
United States: civil penalties under ADA Title III; demand letters typically settle at $3,000–$25,000; litigated cases can reach $50,000+ in attorney-fee awards European Union: fines under EAA national transpositions vary by member state, up to €1,000,000 in some jurisdictions Canada (AODA): C$50,000–C$100,000 per day per violation in Ontario
What happens if I am not compliant with ACA?
Administrative monetary penalties up to C$250,000 per violation
Stop guessing. Get the audit a Fortune 500 a11y team would have written.
Free audit on your live URL. No sign-up. IAAP-format report. Ready in hours.
founders@accessivepath.com · +977 9851094056