W3C Publishes Updated WCAG 3.0 Working Draft With Reworked Conformance Model

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has published an updated Working Draft of the W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3.0, dated 10 September 2026, continuing work on the next generation of accessibility guidelines that will eventually sit alongside the current WCAG 2.2 standard.

The September 2026 update further develops the proposed conformance model and brings additional guidelines and requirements to the "Developing" stage. One of the biggest departures from WCAG 2.2 is how conformance may be assessed and reported: the latest draft proposes a single conformance level, with additional reporting tiers below and above that level, an approach intended to balance harmonization across regulatory environments with flexibility for organizations that go beyond minimum requirements.

WCAG 3.0 is also being drafted with a broader scope than its predecessor. It is intended to apply to web content, apps, tools, publishing and emerging web technologies, and to address a wider range of accessibility needs, including more of the needs of people with cognitive disabilities.

W3C emphasizes that WCAG 3.0 remains an incomplete Working Draft that is expected to change substantially as development continues, and that it is not currently a replacement for WCAG 2.2. The organization advises organizations to keep meeting WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA requirements while the newer guidelines are being developed. The 10 September 2026 publication follows the previous Working Draft of 3 March 2026.

W3C is inviting public feedback on the draft, particularly on the proposed conformance model and an alternative scoring model. Comments can be submitted through the WCAG 3 GitHub repository or by email to public-agwg-comments@w3.org.