The accessibility testing process can be conducted by website owners themselves, if they choose to do so. To that end, they can thoroughly review a website, online document, or any other relevant web-based application and inspect its level of conformance with relevant web accessibility standards. Given that the latter is a complex process, many website owners choose to rely on expert service providers to perform the accessibility testing process for them. Often, they will first rely on an automated tool to run a quick audit of their website to gauge their website’s overall level of accessibility. If the results indicate that the website suffers from gaps in accessibility, website owners will then turn to expert service providers to more thoroughly investigate these issues.
Accessibility testing for specific disability categories
The goal of accessibility testing is to ensure that people with various disabilities can access a website or web-based application. Given that different disabilities present specific challenges when engaging with a website or web-based application, the testing process will need to account for such varying user experiences. To that end, most accessibility testing agencies divide disabilities into five major categories:
Low vision/Blindness
These range from complete blindness to more moderate vision impairments, such as low vision. Color blindness and poor eyesight are also vision impairments that accessibility testers check for. To test whether websites and web-based applications are accessible for people with these disabilities, testers should verify whether:
- They are compatible with screen readers
- There is sufficient color contrasts between text and its background
- Text text can be resized to 200% without loss of content or function
Important note: These are only a select few elements a tester will need to examine. The actual list of action items is much longer.
Physical disabilities
A wide range of permanent and temporary disabilities can make it difficult to use a computer mouse. For people who have these disabilities to be able to access them, websites need to be configured so that they facilitate keyboard navigation. Testing whether websites and web-based applications are accessible for people with these disabilities, therefore entails examining whether they can be operated fully using only a keyboard.
Important note: These are only a select few elements a tester will need to examine. The actual list of action items is much longer.
Learning and cognitive disabilities
Developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, and brain injuries can make it hard for people to navigate complex web experiences. Additionally, people with learning disabilities can find reading and writing difficult. To test whether websites and web-based applications are accessible for people with these disabilities, testers should verify whether:
- It is devoid of unnecessary jargon and complex terminology
- It features content that is structured in a simple and intuitive way
- Its web pages are designed so that they aren’t overly cluttered
Important note: These are only a select few elements a tester will need to examine. The actual list of action items is much longer.
Hearing disabilities
Auditory problems span from total deafness to difficulty hearing quiet sounds. To test whether websites and web-based applications are accessible for people with these disabilities, testers should verify whether:
Important note: These are only a select few elements a tester will need to examine. The actual list of action items is much longer.
