Explore Digital Accessibility Regulations

The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0 help make web authoring tools accessible to users with disabilities while enabling authors to create accessible web content. ATAG applies to all tools used for creating, editing, or publishing web content, including WYSIWYG (“What You See Is What You Get”) editors, content management systems (CMS), website builders, and multimedia production software.

Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), ATAG 2.0 complements the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) by ensuring both authoring tools and the content they produce support digital accessibility. By aligning with ATAG, organizations can create more inclusive authoring experiences and make it easier to produce accessible digital content.

What ATAG 2.0 Says

ATAG provides guidance on how authoring tools should enable, encourage, and assist users in creating accessible web content through accessible interfaces, automated prompts, validation, quality assurance (QA), repair suggestions, documentation, and other accessibility-focused features.

The guidelines are built on the principle that everyone should be able to both create accessible content (ATAG) and access accessible content (WCAG). Therefore, the tools used to create digital content should themselves be fully accessible.

Tools Covered by ATAG

ATAG applies to a wide range of authoring tools, including:

• WYSIWYG HTML and XML editors
• Word processors and desktop publishing applications that export web content
• Document conversion tools (such as DOCX to HTML converters)
• Multimedia and video editing software
• Content Management Systems (CMS) and website builders (such as WordPress, Drupal, Wix, and Squarespace)
• CSS authoring and web design tools

Why ATAG Conformance Matters

ATAG conformance benefits both software developers and content creators.

Developers can build products that are accessible to a broader audience, including authors with disabilities, while improving usability and expanding market reach.

Content authors benefit from built-in accessibility features that simplify the creation of accessible websites, documents, and multimedia without requiring advanced accessibility expertise. Features such as accessibility checkers, automated prompts, and validation tools help identify and resolve issues before content is published.

As more authoring tools adopt ATAG principles, the overall accessibility of digital content improves, creating better experiences for everyone.