AHWD study plan

AHWD · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 7 hours per week

Week 1

Accessible Web Content (WCAG)

Map each WCAG 2.2 success criterion to its four principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) from memory
Classify 20 criteria by conformance level (A, AA, AAA) and identify which level applies to the exam's target
Explain the difference between the three conformance levels and the concept of full-page and full-process conformance
Write plain-language definitions for the most commonly tested criteria (e.g., 1.1.1, 1.4.3, 2.1.1, 2.4.7, 3.3.2)

A one-page WCAG 2.2 criterion map with level and principle for at least 30 criteria, self-quizzed to 90% recall

Week 2

Apply the four POUR principles to diagnose five hypothetical page descriptions and name the failing criterion for each
Distinguish sufficient techniques from advisory techniques for at least eight criteria
Explain how new WCAG 2.2 criteria (e.g., 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured, 2.5.7 Dragging Movements, 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication) change requirements
Compare WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 to list what was added and what was removed

A written comparison table of WCAG 2.1 vs 2.2 changes with a short justification for each addition

Week 3

Identify the legal obligations of at least three accessibility laws or standards (e.g., ADA, Section 508, EN 301 549, AODA) and their scope
Explain how WCAG maps to legal/regulatory requirements in at least two jurisdictions
Describe the roles of W3C WAI, the Access Board, and enforcement bodies in setting and applying standards
Differentiate conformance requirements from legal compliance obligations in a written paragraph

A jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction summary sheet covering at least four laws/standards and the WCAG level each references

Week 4

Describe the functional impact of at least six disability categories (vision, hearing, motor, cognitive, speech, seizure) on web use
Explain the social vs medical model of disability and apply the social model to a design decision
Match common assistive technology to the disability groups that use it
Identify inclusive design principles (e.g., equitable use, flexibility, perceptible information) and apply two to a sample interface

A disability-to-barrier-to-design-response matrix covering six disability categories with at least two mitigations each

Week 5

Explain how screen readers interpret the accessibility tree, including roles, names, and states
Describe keyboard-only navigation patterns and how focus management affects assistive technology users
Compare how at least three user agents (desktop screen reader, mobile screen reader, browser with zoom) expose content differently
Trace how ARIA attributes and native HTML semantics are announced by a screen reader

A narrated or written walkthrough of how a screen reader would announce a provided sample page structure, element by element

Week 6

Apply document accessibility rules (headings, alt text, tables, reading order, language) to a sample PDF and word-processing file
Explain captioning, transcripts, and audio description requirements for pre-recorded and live media
Identify common authoring-tool failures that produce inaccessible documents and state the fix for each
Describe how tagged PDF structure relates to assistive technology reading order

A remediated sample document (or remediation log) with before/after notes for at least eight accessibility fixes

Week 7

Select appropriate automated and manual testing methods for a given accessibility requirement
Distinguish what automated tools can and cannot detect, with examples
Design a manual test script covering keyboard, screen reader, zoom, and color contrast checks
Prioritize remediation steps by severity and user impact for a set of described defects

A reusable manual test script with at least 15 checks, each mapped to a WCAG criterion and expected result

Week 8

Synthesize all domains by diagnosing a multi-defect scenario and proposing prioritized fixes
Explain to a non-technical stakeholder why a given defect matters to real users
Review weak areas from prior weeks and re-test recall of high-frequency criteria
Practice time-boxed scenario questions across all six domains

A full practice-exam run (or 40-question self-authored set) scored at 80% or higher, with a written remediation plan for missed items

Week 2: Score at least 85% on a self-made WCAG 2.2 criterion-to-level quiz without notes

Week 4: Explain, in writing, how a single legal requirement maps to a specific WCAG criterion and level

Week 6: Complete the document remediation log with all eight fixes correctly justified against a criterion or standard

Week 8: Achieve 80% or higher on the full practice run and list every missed domain for final review