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There are several things that go into accessibility testing for web sites. The first thing you need to know is what exactly you’re testing for. Comprehensive testing can be exhaustive and time consuming. WCAG uses four main principles which state that websites must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. This makes an acronym called POUR. And certainly, that’s an industry standard, however I think of accessibility in simpler terms. To me, accessibility is usability. Can you see it? Can you hear it? Can you interact with it? Seeing it involves making sure that you’re using screens that have enough contrast that text and buttons can be distinguished easily. Hearing is critical for people who are visually impaired as they need to rely on audible prompts to navigate the site. Being able to interact with the web site is critical for people with motor impairments. But these three things kind of work hand-in-glove to a certain extent, and it’s very important to consider them as a whole. It’s not simple a matter of being able to see the site, using large fonts and high contrasts and calling it good. WCAG has published a document called The Must-Have WCAG Checklist with is an amazing resource which is linked below. |