Web Accessibility Checker Software

Assessing Page Content

How can you tell if the content you are creating is accessible?

Website compliance is a shared responsibility. There are simple ways to check content with automatic tools and non-technical tests to see if the content is accessible and inclusive to everyone.

To determine the accessibility of your website, automated tools offer an excellent starting point. These tools analyze a website's code and existing content, identifying errors according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Additionally, many tools offer instructions for resolving these issues. For example, WAVE Accessibility Evaluation Tool by WebAIM, available for Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge and Accessibility Insights for Web by Microsoft, extension includes some automated checks, visualizing Tab stops, a guide for manual assessments, and can save a report. By using these types of tools, developers and content creators save time and can identify errors that may not be immediately apparent.

Automated Checker Limitations & Manual Testing

Although automated tools are valuable for accessibility testing, they have limitations as they cannot grasp context or assess content quality and some barriers. After conducting an initial assessment with automated tools, it's essential to complement it with manual testing to ensure inclusivity and accessibility on the website. It is also vital to manually evaluate documents uploaded to the website for accessibility compliance prior to publishing them. Follow the steps in the accessibility guidelines documentation.

Automated Checker Training

CSUSM is currently reviewing accessibility checker software to replace Compliance Sheriff that is not longer supported by the vendor. Once the replacement has been selected, training will be provided for everyone who develops content for the website and for content creators who edit and publish content to the website.