Testing Accessibility
Every time you edit or create a web page, you should test to make sure that page passes the minimum accessibility requirements.
Ask the following questions:
- Does each image have alt text? Does the alt text make sense for the image and/or function of the image?
- Are there any images of text or images that contain text? If so, do you have a good reason to use that image and did you include the text in the alt text?
- Are headings and lists being used correctly?
- Are your links clear by themselves (without the surrounding context)?
- If your page has video or audio content, did you include a transcript and captions?
- If you are using any colors (or images of text) aside from the default colors, did you check for sufficient contrast?
- Are you relying on sensory characteristics (sight, sound, etc.) to describe instructions?
Test your page with WAVE
WAVE is a great accessibility testing tool that will help you identify many accessibility issues. It also provides information about how to fix issues. Go to http://wave.webaim.org and enter your page’s address in the “Web page address” field and press enter. You can also download and install the WAVE Toolbar browser extension for Google or Firefox.
Test your page with the SiteImprove Chrome Extension