The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines doesn't make accessibility. But sometimes, the result of following them is an accessible product.
You could call accessibility a by-product of the WCAG, but you'd be wrong.
A by-product is an unexpected or unintended result that is generated during the production of a primary product. It's not the main focus of the production process but is created as a result of it.
By this definition, accessibility is not a by-product of following the WCAG. The guidelines are there specifically to explain how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. Accessibility is the main product.
But wait!
Why only sometimes? What happens all the other times? Why isn't the result an accessible product?
I noted three main reasons for this.
1. Misinterpretation of guidelines
For example, I might focus on meeting a specific success criterion, like providing alt text for images, but miss the broader context of ensuring the alt text is meaningful and descriptive. This leads to an over-reliance on technical compliance, where we focus solely on ticking off checkboxes without considering the real-world usability of the product for people with disabilities.
2. Incomplete implementation
For example, I can design a website's navigation to work perfectly, but without proper keyboard accessibility, making it unusable for people who rely on keyboards or assistive technologies. I might also overlook edge cases because the WCAG doesn't cover everything.
This leads me to the third reason.
3. No user testing
Accessibility is about real people, and the best way to ensure a product is accessible is to involve people with disabilities in the testing process. Automated accessibility testing tools can identify some issues, but they cannot catch everything.
Not to mention that the needs of users with disabilities can change over time. The WCAG cannot keep pace with these changes. What we considered accessible a few years ago might not meet the needs of users today.
Sometimes, even if you follow everything to the letter, you still can't claim 100% accessibility.
But that's okay.
Accessibility isn't something you achieve and move on. There's no final destination, so the WCAG isn't a roadmap. Instead, I consider it the playbook for what I can do at various crossroads.