WCAG 2.2 new criteria — implementation guide

<aside> 💡 WCAG 2.2 added 9 new success criteria. This page covers the ones most relevant to government digital services with actionable implementation guidance for designers and developers.

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2.4.11 — Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) — Level AA

When a UI component receives keyboard focus, it must not be entirely hidden by author-created content (sticky headers, cookie banners, chat widgets, floating action buttons).

Designer

Sticky headers should be as thin as possible — every pixel obscures focused content below
Cookie/consent banners should be dismissible before the user interacts with the page
Floating buttons (chat, back-to-top) should not overlap the focus path

Developer

Use scroll-padding-top on <html> or scroll containers to account for sticky headers (CSS: scroll-padding-top: 80px)
When focusing an element programmatically, check if it's obscured and scroll it into view: element.scrollIntoView({ block: 'nearest' })
For sticky footers/chat widgets: ensure they don't overlap the last focusable elements on the page
Test by tabbing through the entire page — watch for focus disappearing behind fixed-position elements

2.5.7 — Dragging Movements — Level AA

Any action that uses dragging (drag-and-drop reordering, sliders, map panning, crop rectangles) MUST have a single-pointer alternative that doesn't require dragging.

Alternatives to provide

Drag action	Single-pointer alternative
Drag to reorder list items	Move up / Move down buttons, or a position number input
Drag slider handle	Click anywhere on the track to set value, OR provide a number input
Drag to crop image	Input fields for x, y, width, height
Drag to pan a map	Arrow buttons or click-to-pan
Drag file to upload area	Click to browse button
Drag to draw/annotate	Click-to-place-points or form-based input
Kanban card drag between columns	Move to [column] dropdown on each card

Developer

For sortable lists: add aria-label="Move up" and "Move down" buttons to each item; update aria-live region with new position