Accessible Learning Design
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) help make web content accessible to the greatest amount of users by following the accessibility guidelines. These guidelines are developed and maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium W3C. The W3C develops the standards of accessibility for web content. Following these guidelines not only helps people with disability but can also make websites better for everyone. (W3C, 2018).
POUR
WCAG introduces four key principles of accessibility: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR). These principles help web content creators focus on making web content accessible in a more conceptual way, rather than just following specific techniques. The acronym POUR is easy to remember and helps guide the creation of accessible websites (WebAIM, 2025.).
Perceivable: Content must be accessible through at least one sense. ​​​​​
Understandable: Information and operation must be clear and predictable.
Operable: Navigation and interaction must be accessible through various input methods.
Robust: Web content must work across different technologies and assistive technology tools.
Reference:
WebAIM (2025.). Constructing a POUR Website: Putting People at the Center of the Process. Retrieved from: https://webaim.org/articles/pour/
Watch the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials (3 minutes) on Designing for Accessibility with POUR. To watch, select the play button on the player below.