Joomla WCAG 2.2 Checker

WCAG 2.2 for Joomla Sites

WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation in October 2023. It keeps every WCAG 2.1 requirement except 4.1.1 Parsing and adds six success criteria at Level A and AA, mostly about people with low vision, motor disabilities and cognitive disabilities. A Joomla site that meets WCAG 2.2 AA also meets 2.1 AA and 2.0 AA.

This checker runs the same free scan as the Joomla accessibility checker with the WCAG 2.2 AA preset, so the results include the 2.2 rules that automated testing can check.

On Joomla sites, WCAG 2.2 issues usually come from the theme and plugins rather than core: icon-only social links below 24 pixels, sticky headers that cover focused links, and login or comment forms that block password managers.

Who Should Run the Joomla WCAG 2.2 Checker

• Joomla site owners who want the most current, future-proof target.
• Teams redesigning a Joomla site, where adopting the latest version costs little extra.
• Organizations selling into the EU, where EN 301 549 V4.1.1 now uses WCAG 2.2.
• Anyone preparing for new rules, which tend to adopt the latest WCAG version.

The New WCAG 2.2 Criteria to Check on Joomla

• 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)

  Sticky headers, cookie banners and chat widgets must not completely hide the element that has keyboard focus.

• 2.5.7 Dragging Movements

  Anything that works by dragging, such as sliders, carousels and sortable lists, needs a single-pointer alternative.

• 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum)

  Buttons and links need a target of at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or enough space around them. Icon buttons and pagination links often fail.

• 3.2.6 Consistent Help

  Help such as a contact link or chat must appear in the same place on every page that has it.

• 3.3.7 Redundant Entry

  Do not ask for the same information twice in one process, such as shipping and billing addresses, without offering to fill it in.

• 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum)

  Sign-in must not depend on a cognitive test, such as remembering a password without paste support or solving a puzzle.

Where Joomla Sites Usually Fail WCAG 2.2

These problems come up again and again on Joomla sites, and each one fails WCAG 2.2. The Joomla accessibility checker explains how to fix them in Joomla.

• Template overrides. Overrides in the template’s html folder replace core output, and they can quietly drop labels, ARIA attributes and heading levels that Joomla would have produced.
• Module titles and positions. Modules output their titles as headings, so a module placed in the sidebar can break the heading order, and empty modules leave empty landmarks.
• Articles edited in the editor. Images inserted in the editor often go in without alt text, and text styled to look like a heading is a bold paragraph to a screen reader.
• Contact and form extensions. The core contact form and form extensions such as RSForm or ChronoForms can ship fields with placeholders instead of labels and errors that are not announced.
• Page builders, sliders and galleries. Commercial page builders and slider extensions generate nested markup, auto-advancing slides with no pause control and images without text alternatives.

Worried about ADA claims as well? The Joomla ADA compliance checker covers the Joomla risks behind most complaints.

What to Test by Hand on Joomla

Automated testing finds many, but not all, WCAG 2.2 failures. Check these yourself after the scan:

1. Tab through each page and check the focused element is never fully covered by sticky content (2.4.11).
2. Try every drag interaction with a single click or tap instead (2.5.7).
3. Sign in with a password manager and check paste works (3.3.8).
4. Rescan after each fix. Continuous monitoring rescans up to 500 URLs per domain daily and keeps a dated record in the Compliance Vault.

Start 3-day free trial

Related Guides

• WCAG 2.2 AA CheckerThe WCAG 2.2 standard in full, for any website.
• WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content Explained in Plain EnglishWCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content explained simply: how to write alt text for every kind of image, icon, chart and CAPTCHA, with code examples and a test routine.
• WCAG 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide Explained in Plain EnglishWCAG 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide explained simply: what moving and auto-updating content needs, the 5-second rule, carousel fixes and how to test your pages.
• Free Tools to Check Website Accessibility: 6 Best Options ComparedCompare the best free tools to check website accessibility: AccessBell, WAVE, axe DevTools, Accessibility Insights, Lighthouse and ANDI, and when to use each.
• WCAG Success Criteria LibraryLook up any criterion the scan flags, in plain language.

Joomla WCAG 2.2 Checker: Frequently Asked Questions