Hello there! Welcome to the world of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

The Pokédex of Accessibility - your bi-weekly journey through the world of WCAG

My name is Julia! People call me an Accessibility Enthusiast! The web is inhabited by creatures called Accessibility Bugs! For some people, Accessibility Bugs are not real bugs. Others fix them for improving the web. Myself...I study Accessibility as a profession.

Your very own Accessibility Specialist legend is about to unfold! A world of diversity and inclusion with EVERYONE no matter their ability awaits! Let's go!

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Welcome to the Very First Issue

Welcome to the very first issue of Pokédex of Accessibility, your bi-weekly journey through the world of WCAG—served up with a side of Pokémon flair! Whether you’re a seasoned Accessibility Champion or just embarking on your quest, I am here to help you “Gotta catch ’em all” (all 86 Success Criteria, that is!).

What to Expect from This Newsletter 🤌🏽

• Bi-Weekly Expedition: Every other week, you’ll receive one brand-new Pokémon Card featuring a single WCAG Success Criterion (SC) - and a Pokémon on top of it.

  • Note: The cards do not appear in numerical order, but at random. Just as if you were to venture into the high grass in search of your next catch.

• Structured Adventure: We’ll cover all four WCAG Principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust), 13 guidelines, and guiding you through each of the 86 SC’s details.

• Fun & Friendly: Expect puns, Pokémon lore, and even cameo appearances by Team Rocket, Professor Oak, and more!

• Archive Access: Every card will be published on my website’s Pokédex of Accessibility—so you can revisit and review anytime.

“A good Trainer always checks their work! Remember, even the strongest Charizard needs a solid strategy.” – Professor Oak

How the Pokémon Cards Work

Each card is modeled after a classic Pokémon trading card, but with a twist. Here’s how to read yours:

WCAG Principle

Background Color indicates the WCAG POUR Principle:

• Red = Perceivable

• Blue = Operable

• Green = Understandable

• Yellow = Robust

Another indicator for the principles are the icons next to the principle name in the top right.

Success Criteria (SC)

Top-Left Corner shows the WCAG Success Criterion number (e.g., “SC1.1.1”).

The conformance level, which can be either A, AA, or AAA appears before this number.

The name of the criteria appears as the first heading in the middle of the card, followed by an description of the meaning.

Benefits

Under the benefits section you will find a description of which user group will benefit of the bug fix.

Who’s Affected and Who is responsible?

The three gray bars are containing information on which user group is affected (e.g., screen-reader users, keyboard-only users) by the rule, how severe ignoring is, and who on your team is responsible (e.g. designers, developers, content creators) for the fix.

Pokémon

Almost 50% of the card shows a Pokémon. These have been chosen carefully because of their type, evolution, strengths or similar. This should help the reader to better memorise the success criteria.

In the bottom right-hand corner of the Pokémon picture is a QR code that takes you directly to the official description of the SC.

Stay Tuned 😇

Look out for our next issue where I’ll introduce SC 1.2.2: Captions (Prerecorded) (Red background!).

In the meanwhile, visit the Pokédex Of Accessibility – All past “Pokémon Cards” will be posted on the website.

Join the League – Share your questions, feedback, or a Pokémon you wish to see in the cards with me by commenting on this post.

Thank you for embarking on this quest with me. Together, we’ll evolve your accessibility skills to Lv. 100!

Until next time, Trainers—
“Catch ’em all, catch ’em right!” ⚡

—Your Accessibility Enthusiast (Pokémon-zing the Way)