Information Communication Technology (ICT)
Accessible Websites & Web Apps

Preparing to Test for Accessibility

Testing Tips

• Build web accessibility testing early in to your development process and ongoing maintenance.
• Become familiar with implementing the standards:
  • Section 508/ICT Refresh Checklist
  • The A11Y Project
  • ICT Accessibility Training Resources
• Testing Web Content for Accessibility - overview of methods in testing
• Manually navigate your pages and forms without a mouse, using only your keyboard. Lose The Mouse Challenge
• Gain the user's perspective on typical design issues. WebAIM offers the User Perspective 

Testing Tools

• Test with automated web accessibility toolbars to catch some of the errors. These will typically catch anywhere from 10-30% of the errors, sometimes more. Ensure you get "Errors" down to zero and review alerts as well. 
  • WebAIM WAVE Browser Extension- Chrome (contrast checking option included) Help Resource
  • WebAIM WAVE Browser Extension - Firefox 
  • Siteimprove Platform: Help Documentation
  • WebAIM WAVE online checker
  • Most automated tools can catch color contrast issues but a manual review of the results is usually needed to confirm no false positives.
    • WebAIM Color Checker
    • Color Contrast Analyser (desktop tool)
  • Use different approaches for evaluating websites for accessibility. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Accessibility Evaluation Resources 
    • Here's a good place to start to learn about accessibility checking
  • Use a disability simulator that helps designers ensure that their content and applications are accessible and usable by the visually impaired.  aDesigner is a tool that web authors can use to ensure that the webpages they create are accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. aDesigner disability simulator
  • The Paciello Group offers resources for testing an inclusive design groups. The Paciello Group
    • JAWSInspect - This is a fee based checker to simplify testing for screenreader accessibility, without using a screen reader.

Mobile Accessibility

• Learn about mobile device accessibility guidelines. Mobile/App Accessibility

Assistive Technology

Testing web sites and applications using assistive technologies offers you a lot of benefits. You get to learn some of the tools that people with disabilities use to navigate technology, which is incredibly informative. You also get better insight into the true, functional accessibility of the site or application.

• How to check a website for accessibility with Jaws 
• Accessibility testing with the free NVDA Screenreader

Visit our Users & Technology page to learn more about assistive technology. 

Want a demonstration of what IS and is NOT an accessible web page? 

Here are websites that show the differences, both in presentation and in structure, between accessible and inaccessible web pages. Use these to practice your website accessibility testing and experiment with different AT devices.

• Accessible University
  • The Accessible University Before Site
  • The Accessible University After Site
• W3C
  • The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Before and After Demo (BAD)

Have a resource for ICT Accessibility to share with us?  Email your resource to info@mo-at.org