Questions answered by this guide
- What is WCAG?
- Does WCAG apply to Storyline and Rise courses?
- What does WCAG Level AA mean?
- Do I need to memorize every WCAG success criterion?
- What are the four principles of WCAG?
What you'll learn
- WCAG is the standard most accessibility requirements are based on
- It comes down to four ideas: perceivable, operable, understandable, robust
- Level AA is the practical target for most eLearning
What's inside
Instructional designers who need a plain-English introduction to WCAG
- 01The four principles, in plain language
- 02What Level AA actually means
- 03A worked example
- 04Where to go next for your tool
Why it matters
WCAG is the standard most accessibility requirements are based on, including most legal requirements. Understanding it in plain language, instead of the official spec's dense wording, makes it possible to actually apply it to your course.
When you'll encounter this
- You're new to accessibility and keep seeing "WCAG" and "Level AA" referenced without a plain explanation of what they mean.
- A stakeholder, legal team, or client asks whether your course is "WCAG compliant."
- You want to understand why A11yCheck's findings are organized the way they are before diving into a tool-specific checklist.
Example
One principle, applied
✕ Incorrect
A narrated video is embedded in a Rise lesson with no captions and no transcript, relying entirely on audio to deliver its content.
This fails the "perceivable" principle (WCAG 1.2.2, Captions) for anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing, watches with the sound off, or is on a connection where audio doesn't load reliably. The information exists in only one form.
✓ Correct
The same video ships with accurate closed captions, and a full text transcript is linked below it.
The same information is now available in a form that doesn't depend on hearing, which is what "perceivable" actually means in practice, not an abstract legal term, but content reaching a learner through more than one sense.
Best practices
- Think of WCAG as four simple ideas: content should be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
- You do not need to memorize success criterion numbers. Focus on the practical checks that come from them, like alt text and keyboard access.
- Use WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 Level AA as your target. This is the level most organizations require.
- When in doubt, ask whether a learner using a screen reader, a keyboard alone, or with low vision could still use your course.
Common mistakes
- Trying to read the official WCAG specification directly. It is written for standards bodies and lawyers, not instructional designers.
- Assuming WCAG only applies to websites, not eLearning courses.
- Treating WCAG compliance as a one-time task instead of something to check on every course.
Practical checklist
- You know your course's WCAG conformance target, usually Level AA.
- You understand the four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, robust.
- You have a tool-specific checklist to apply this practically.
Frequently asked questions
What does WCAG stand for?
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It is the most widely used accessibility standard, and the basis for most accessibility laws.
Does WCAG apply to Storyline and Rise courses?
Yes. WCAG applies to any digital content, including eLearning courses published as web pages, which is how Storyline and Rise output works.
What is Level AA?
A conformance level within WCAG. Level A is the minimum, AA is the level most organizations target, and AAA is the strictest. AA is the practical standard for most eLearning.
Do I need to know every success criterion?
No. In practice, most real-world eLearning failures come down to a handful of checks: alt text on images, full keyboard access, captions on video and audio, and enough color contrast. Learning those covers the majority of what matters without touching the raw specification.
How is WCAG different for Storyline versus Rise?
The standard itself is the same. What differs is how each tool handles accessibility by default and what you need to configure.
Does WCAG apply to an internal, non-public training course?
WCAG itself doesn't distinguish between public and internal content, the standard applies to the content, not to who's allowed to see it. Whether you're legally required to meet it for an internal course depends on your organization, industry, and jurisdiction, but treating internal training to the same standard as public content is the safer default, and it's the only way to guarantee an employee who uses assistive technology can actually complete required training.
What's the difference between WCAG and Section 508?
WCAG is the underlying technical standard, Section 508 is a U.S. federal law that incorporates WCAG 2.0 Level AA by reference for federal agencies, federally funded programs, and public institutions. In practice, meeting WCAG Level AA is what satisfies Section 508's technical requirement, Section 508 is the legal obligation, WCAG is the standard it points to.
What is a VPAT, and do I need one for an internal course?
A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is a document that states how a product or piece of content conforms to WCAG and Section 508, typically requested by a buyer or federal agency during procurement. Most internal training doesn't need a formal VPAT, that's mainly a procurement document for software and public-facing content, but the underlying WCAG conformance work is the same either way.
Related Guides
WCAG for Storyline→
WCAG's requirements map onto specific Storyline settings: turn on the built-in accessibility toggle first, then add alt text, captions, and fix tab order yourself, none of that happens automatically.
WCAG for Rise→
Rise handles more accessibility structure automatically than Storyline, no toggle to find, but that doesn't make a Rise course automatically accessible. Alt text, captions, and a few interaction types still need your own work.
Before You Publish Checklist→
A short checklist to run through before you publish any Storyline or Rise course. It covers accessibility, course quality, and course engagement in one pass.
Alt Text Guide→
Alt text is a short written description of an image that a screen reader reads aloud in its place. Write what the image communicates, not what it looks like, and keep it under about a sentence.
Keyboard Navigation Guide→
Keyboard navigation means every interactive object in your course, buttons, links, quiz answers, layers, can be reached and used with Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, and arrow keys alone, with no mouse required.
Closed Captions Guide→
The difference between captions and a transcript, and exactly how to add both in Storyline and Rise.
Color Contrast Guide→
Normal-sized text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 against its background, and large text needs at least 3 to 1. This is checked with a contrast checker tool, not a visual guess.
Table Structure Guide→
A data table needs its header row (or column) explicitly marked as a header, not just styled to look like one, so a screen reader can announce which column or row each cell belongs to as a learner moves through it.
Media Controls Guide→
Anything that plays sound or motion automatically, background audio, an auto-playing video, a looping animation, needs a way for the learner to pause, stop, or control it. Audio that autoplays for more than 3 seconds needs a pause, stop, or volume control under WCAG.
Heading Structure Guide→
A heading needs to be a real heading, marked as one in your authoring tool, not just text styled to look big and bold. That's what lets a screen reader user jump directly between headings to navigate a course, the same way a sighted learner skims a page by its headings.
What Can A11yCheck Review Automatically?→
A11yCheck's automated scan reliably detects structural and technical accessibility issues, like missing alt text, low contrast, and broken keyboard access, but it can't judge instructional quality, learning objectives, or whether an image's description is actually accurate. Here's exactly where that line sits.
Summary
WCAG is the standard behind most accessibility requirements. You do not need to read the full specification. Focus on the practical checks it leads to, and target Level AA.
Review your course before you publish it.
A11yCheck reviews Storyline and Rise courses for:
- Accessibility
- Course Quality
- Course Engagement
www.a11ycheck-dev.com