Accessibility Checklists and Tools
The tools listed here can help web developers make websites accessible. No tool subsititutes for a human evaluation. There is no tool that can evaluate web content for all types of accessibility errors. A human check is always necessary.
- Section508.gov
- Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires web content and other IT tools and resources to meet accessibility standards. Section 508 standards are based in part on WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative) Priority 1 and 2 guidelines. These are the minimum standards that CSUSM pages must meet.
- Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
- Part of the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), the WAI has established guidelines for making accessible web content. Guidelines are ranked into three priority levels. Includes tutorials, how-tos, overview of applicable laws, simulations (so you can get an idea of what a disabled visitor might encounter on the web) and links to other tools and resources.
- WebAIM's Section 508 Checklist
- An easy to read and use version of the Section 508 standards with PASS & FAIL examples.
- JimThatcher.com - Resources
- Jim Thatcher, accessibility expert, offers an excellent Section 508 tutorial, analysis tips, and favelets for human review.
- W3c HTML Validator
- The first step in creating accessible pages is to write valid code. Make sure your HTML validates.
- Firefox Web Developer Toolbar
- This extension to the Firefox browser adds a menu and a toolbar to the browser with various web developer tools. Tools include links to validators, outlining of images with missing alt text, hiding images, disabling styles and javascript - plus many more. This tool is a must-have for web developers.
- Cynthia Says Web Content Accessibility Report
- The HiSoftware Cynthia Says Portal can check a web page to see if the content meets Section 508 Accessibility Standards. The report generated gives valuable advise on what's wrong and how to fix it. Cynthia Says can not check for all aspects of accessibility or 508 compliance (human checks are still needed), but it's a good first pass that will indicate where a page may have problems.
- WAVE
- This web-based tool provided by WebAIM helps developers find accessibility errors and possible errors in web pages. See the Using WAVE overview for information about how it works.
- Vischeck
- Check images and image-based web designs with Vischeck to simulate what users with color-blindness will see.
- Daltonize
- Perform color correction to make images accessible to color-blind users.
Windows and Apple Accessibility Websites
Accessibility Tools for your Web Pages
