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Methodology changelog

Every change, on the record

Our assessment methodology is versioned. Material changes increment the version and are recorded here — with the reasoning, in plain language. Changes apply to new assessments and renewals, never retroactively to standings already issued. This is how a recognition program stays honest as the standard evolves. The full current methodology lives on the standards page.

Version history

  1. v1.0Current

    In effect for all assessments

    The initial published methodology.

    • WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the assessed standard, via automated testing (axe-core) plus structured expert review.
    • PDF/UA-1 (ISO 14289-1) validation for document accessibility, via veraPDF.
    • Representative-sample page selection that always includes reachable high-consequence workflow pages.
    • The ~57% automated-detection disclosure, and the confidentiality of assessments that have not earned a standing.

Future versions will be added here as the methodology evolves. Each entry records what changed and why; organizations are notified of material changes at renewal.