Accessibility Checklists, Evaluation Tools and Techniques

Introduction

There are a number of evaluation tools and techniques available that can be used to test whether or not the content on your site meets the needs of a variety of users. In the ideal world, you would have a wide range of users test your site. You would get feedback from people who are colorblind, people who use assistive/adaptive technology to access the technology, users for whom English is not their first language or those who have cognitive disabilities, etc. That is usually not practical, but evaluating your site with these users in mind, will go a long way in creating accessible content.

See the Web Accessibility Standards and Guidelines area of the Web Accessibility page on this site for additional information about what will make your web content compliant.

Unfortunately, the reports you get from some of the evaluation tools can be difficult to interpret if you don't have a web authoring background. Fortunately, though, there are some very simple techniques you can do to get started evaluating your web content for accessibility. Examples (which are described in more detail at thae bottom of the page) include turn off your sound or navigate through your site with just keyboard (no mouse).

Official Guidelines

    • (NEW June 2018!) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/

    • WCAG 2.1 is now a W3C Recommendation [W3C] https://www.w3.org/blog/2018/06/wcag21-rec/

    • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines [WebAIM] http://webaim.org/standards/wcag/

    • How to Meet WCAG 2.0 https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/ "A customizable quick reference to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 requirements (success criteria) and techniques."

    • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 - Many countries recognize these guidelines, which were developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) - www.w3.org/TR/WCAG

Getting Started

    • Quick Reference: Testing Web Content for Accessibility http://webaim.org/resources/evalquickref/

    • Manual checks when testing a website for accessibility [Temple University] http://accessibility.temple.edu/how-materials/website-and-document-accessibility/manual-checks-when-testing-website-accessibility

    • Easy Checks - A First Review of Web Accessibility https://www.w3.org/WAI/eval/preliminary - "This page helps you start to assess the accessibility of a web page. With these simple steps, you can get an idea whether or not accessibility is addressed in even the most basic way."

    • Accessible Instructional Materials - Instructional Materials Checklists by Application [Temple University - scroll to bottom for checklists] http://accessibility.temple.edu/how-materials/accessible-instructional-materials

    • Accessibility Checklist [Blackboard] https://help.blackboard.com/Ally/Ally_for_LMS/Instructor/Improve_File_Accessibility/Accessibility_Checklist

    • Accessibility Standards, Specifications & Guidelines [AEM] http://aem.cast.org/creating/accessibility-standards-specifications-guidelines.html#.WdJb1WhSwdV

    • National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) http://www.afb.org/info/afb-national-education-program/national-instructional-materials-accessibility-standard-nimas/23

General Information

  • Accessibility Resources http://cstrobbe.github.io/AccessibilityResources/index.html

  • Building Accessible Websites by Joe Clark http://joeclark.org/book/sashay/serialization/home.html

  • Improving Website Accessibility http://www.section508.gov/content/build/website-accessibility-improvement

  • Making Accessible Web Pages [Colorado State University] http://www.acns.colostate.edu/Help/Web-Accessible

  • [WHITEPAPER] SOLVING WEB ACCESSIBILITY: LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND http://www.3playmedia.com/2015/10/22/whitepaper-solving-web-accessibility-leaving-no-one-behind/

  • BONUS TIPS ON WEB ACCESSIBILITY TESTING WITH DAVID BERMAN http://www.3playmedia.com/2015/11/02/bonus-tips-on-web-accessibility-testing-with-david-berman/

  • HAPPY 25TH ANNIVERSARY, ADA! WHATíS NEXT FOR WEB ACCESSIBILITY? http://www.3playmedia.com/2015/07/26/happy-25th-anniversary-ada-whats-next-for-web-accessibility/

    • @ONE Webinar: Evaluating Web Content for Accessibility (YouTube, 56:40) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUPOjXWVnMw&list=PLx-VX3akOUVhMEURX29bFnDhW-lDTnPaf&index=9

    • Website Accessibility [Temple University] http://accessibility.temple.edu/how-materials/website-accessibility

    • Top 9 Website Issues http://accessibility.temple.edu/how-materials/website-and-document-accessibility/top-9-website-issues

Checklists

  • Older versions of HHS Section 508 Checklists

      • Word Document 508 Checklist https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/making-files-accessible/checklist/word/index.html

      • PDF File 508 Checklist https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/making-files-accessible/checklist/pdf/index.html

      • PowerPoint Document 508 Checklist https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/making-files-accessible/checklist/ppt/index.html

      • Excel Document 508 Checklist https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/making-files-accessible/checklist/excel/index.html

      • Multimedia File 508 Checklist https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/making-files-accessible/checklist/multimeda/index.html

    • Saint Joseph’s University Online Course Accessibility Checklist (pdf) www.sju.edu/int/academics/resources/atdl/universal-design%20resource%20documents/SJU%20Accessibility%20Checklist.pdf(direct link) Online

      • Course Development Accessibility Checklist [Saint Joseph's University] https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B--iQzd50cguaVNldGNUdlJIa1k/view

      • Note: Instead of the link to Saint Joseph’s ‘standard university accommodation statement’ (page 1 under General Course Elements), please see the USC Syllabi Statement suggestions at www.sa.sc.edu/sds/faculty-and-staff/#syllabus

    • Your Course Accessibility Checklist https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2016/03/30/Your-Course-Accessibility-Checklist.aspx

    • Instructional Materials Accessibility Checklists [Channel Islands] https://www.csuci.edu/ati/im/faculty/checklist.htm

    • SNAP Tool [JAN Job Accommodation Network] http://askjan.org/bulletins/SNAPTool.htm

      • Download the checklist, which is a spreadsheet with step-by step questions to ask as you review your online materials. There is a column with descriptions of why you do each step and a column for you to self-assess. There is also an archive of a webinar about making an accessible website.

    • OSCQR Accessibility Rubric https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_VwCrtRb6p9SHZaMzI2YmxfT1U/view

      • Also see The Open SUNY Course Quality Review (OSCQR) Process and Rubric http://olc.onlinelearningconsortium.org/effective_practices/open-suny-cote-quality-review-oscqr-process-and-rubric

Best Of... Tools Lists

    • Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools List [W3C] https://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/tools/

    • Accessibility Evaluation Tools [WebAIM] http://webaim.org/articles/tools/

    • Accessibility Checkers http://www.interactiveaccessibility.com/blog/accessibility-checkers#.V-FWMI-cG1g

Accessibility Evaluation Tools [WebAIM] http://webaim.org/articles/tools/

Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools List [W3C] https://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/tools/

Web Accessibility Tools: List of Tools http://cstrobbe.github.io/AccessibilityResources/WebAccessibilityTools.html Also has list of Code Checkers, Contrast Checkers and information on Browser Extensions

Chrome extensions for disabilities masterpost http://chronic-illness-support.tumblr.com/post/121510449113/chrome-extensions-for-disabilities-masterpost Categories include font/text, overlays/colour change, reduce visual distraction, and audio.

11 Free Tools for Testing Website Accessibility http://www.3playmedia.com/2015/11/04/free-tools-for-testing-website-accessibility/?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRojuKrPZKXonjHpfsX57e0sW6GxlMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4CSMRgI%2BSLDwEYGJlv6SgFTbTBMbVk1bgLUhY%3D

FREE TOOLS FOR TESTING WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY http://www.3playmedia.com/2015/11/04/free-tools-for-testing-website-accessibility/

Testing Tools for the DHS [Dept of Homeland Security] Section 508 Compliance Test Process for Applications http://section508testing.org/tools/

Evaluation Tools

WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool - online tool and browser app

    • The steps for using WAVE to evaluate a website for accessibility:

      • Go to wave.webaim.org

      • Copy the URL of the website that requires evaluating.

      • Paste the URL into the WAVE Web Page Address field.

      • Click Enter.

    • The accessibility report will appear as an overlay to the evaluated website.

    • To better understand the report, see WAVE Help at http://wave.webaim.org/help

    • Also see WAVE Chrome Extension http://wave.webaim.org/extension/ which evaluates the content within a web site, which means it can be used behind password protected sites, etc

Microsoft Accessibility Checker (Microsoft Office)

    • Accessibility Checker in Office 2013 (YouTube, Jan 2-16, 2:19) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPAzNcnbzak

    • Using the Accessibility Checker in Office 2010/2013 [Colorado State University] (PDF) https://lib.colostate.edu/images/cat/Accessibility_Checker_Office.pdf

    • Use the Accessibility Checker on your Windows desktop to find accessibility issues https://support.office.com/en-ie/article/Use-the-Accessibility-Checker-on-your-Windows-desktop-to-find-accessibility-issues-a16f6de0-2f39-4a2b-8bd8-5ad801426c7f

    • Use the Accessibility Checker on your Mac to find and resolve accessibility issues https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Use-the-Accessibility-Checker-on-your-Mac-to-find-and-resolve-accessibility-issues-3b84295e-d55b-49f1-b443-523ec45a5232

    • Outlook https://support.office.com/en-ie/article/Make-your-Outlook-email-accessible-71ce71f4-7b15-4b7a-a2e3-cf91721bbacb

    • Word (1) https://support.office.com/en-ie/article/Make-your-Word-documents-accessible-d9bf3683-87ac-47ea-b91a-78dcacb3c66d

    • Word (2) https://support.office.com/en-ie/article/Find-and-fix-accessibility-issues-in-Word-2016-9d660cba-1fcd-45ad-a9d1-c4f4b5eb5b7d

    • PowerPoint https://support.office.com/en-ie/article/Make-your-PowerPoint-presentations-accessible-6f7772b2-2f33-4bd2-8ca7-dae3b2b3ef25

    • Excel https://support.office.com/en-ie/article/Make-your-Excel-spreadsheets-accessible-6cc05fc5-1314-48b5-8eb3-683e49b3e593

Other Browser Add-ons and Extensions

  • aXe Developer Tools (formerly FireEyes) [Deque Labs]

    • Firefox add-on https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/axe-devtools/

    • Chrome https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/axe/lhdoppojpmngadmnindnejefpokejbdd

  • WAVE Chrome Extension http://wave.webaim.org/extension/ - See WAVE Online Tool above for more details

  • RampWEB Section 508 Toolbar http://www.rampweb.com/Accessibility_Resources/Section508/index.php

Other Online or Download Tools

    • The Accessibility Management Platform (AMP) http://www.ssbbartgroup.com/amp/

      • A "web-based platform that provides a ... solution for meeting your Section 508, Americans with Disabilities (ADA) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliance needs. AMP provides the infrastructure to facilitate all aspects of a successful accessibility compliance program." There is apparently a free, community edition version of AMP.

    • The Functional Accessibility Evaluator (FAE) [University of Illinois] https://fae.disability.illinois.edu/anonymous/?Anonymous%20Report=/It "evaluates a website or a single web page based on the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level A and AA requirements." You must sign up for a free account to use it.

  • The Web Accessibility Toolbar (WAT) [Paciello Group] https://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/wat/ Was "developed to aid manual examination of web pages for a variety of aspects of accessibility."

  • Microsoft Office 2010 Accessibility Checker (PDF) https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/CMS-Information-Technology/Section508/Downloads/Tip-sheet-for-Microsoft-Office-Accessibility-Checker.pdf

  • Accessibility Checker by CKSource

    • Accessibility Checker Goes Open Source http://ckeditor.com/blog/Accessibility-Checker-Goes-OS

    • Accessibility Checker by CKSource [also Enterprise version $] https://cksource.com/accessibility-checker/

    • Managing Content Accessibility with Accessibility Checker (user guide) http://docs.ckeditor.com/#!/guide/dev_accessibility_checker

A Few Miscellaneous Tools

    • Charts & Accessibility http://accessibility.psu.edu/images/charts/

    • Accessible Syllabus Checklist (CSU Chico) http://www.csuchico.edu/tlp/accessibility/syllabus/checklist.shtml

  • [in SPANISH] TAW Online: Analizador WCAG 2.0 http://www.tawdis.net/

    • Trusted Tester Process (developed by Dept of Homeland Security) Used for manual testing

      • DHS Trusted Tester Program (TT) https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-tester

      • DHS Section 508 Compliance Test Processes https://www.dhs.gov/compliance-test-processes

    • (advanced) Nu Html Checker (online validator)- just give URL, upload file, or copy text http://validator.w3.org/nu/

Evaluate Materials Using a Screen Reader

See the Listen to the Technology -> Evaluate Materials Using a Screen Reader page on this site

direct link = sites.google.com/site/helpdeskaccessibility/listen#TOC-Evaluate-Materials-Using-a-Screen-Reader

Other Techniques for Evaluating Web Content for Accessibility

In addition to using checklists and tools for evaluating your web site or other web content, there are some other techniques to use.

Manual Checks

    • Manual checks when testing a website for accessibility http://accessibility.temple.edu/how-materials/website-and-document-accessibility/manual-checks-when-testing-website-accessibility

    • Accessibility Testing http://www.interactiveaccessibility.com/accessibility-testing

    • Top 5 Tests for Web Accessibility http://www.interactiveaccessibility.com/blog/top-5-tests-web-accessibility#.V-FWD4-cG1g

Turn Off the Sound

Test Keyboard Access

See the Keyboard Access & Other Alternative Inputs page on this site for additional information

The basic technique is to tab to each link and use the enter key to make sure they do what they are supposed to.

Miscellaneous

(historic)

Bobby Approved: That Trusted Practical Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool Icon http://www.coggan.com/bobby-approved.html

Resources to Explore Further

New links that I find but have not yet looked at closely enough to add to my lists.

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