What does "Testing Accessibility" really mean? [1/6]

Hey, there!

Welcome to the this 6-part email course! I'm happy you're here to learn about accessible web development.

Testing Accessibility means cultivating an iterative, innovative approach to accessibility in websites and web applications. Automated testing can provide a contract for how accessibility should work in your application, at least for the parts that can be programmatically asserted. Process and documentation centered on the experience of people with disabilities are also key aspects to improving access. Testing Accessibility requires an acceptance that accessibility results may not be perfect today, but they can always be improved.

Collectively, we can make a big impact toward an accessible online world. Are you ready to dive in?

This project is starting off with a series of emails, gracing your inbox with a dedicated piece on each of these development topics:

1. Semantics and ARIA.
   • Weave accessibility information into your pages and views that can inform assistive technologies and help users who utilize their voice to navigate or can't see the screen.
2. Interactions and mechanics.
   • Learn how to build accessible components that respond to user input and work well with keyboards, various screen readers, and other devices.
3. Design and visual contrast.
   • Uncover the areas to watch for in design for accessibility, so your CSS styling doesn't unwittingly present barriers to access for people with motion sensitivity, low vision, and more.
4. Accessibility tools and testing.
   • Learn common tools and processes for manual and automated testing, and catch accessibility problems before they ship to production.
5. People skills.
   • Accessibility is more successful when everyone on the team plays a part. Develop the skills to foster accessibility in a team or organization, and keep productive momentum.

Stay tuned for those in the near future.

Here are some recommended workflow steps for accessibility testing:

• Render in a web browser or application build
• Test controls with the keyboard
• Use accessibility web extensions
• Check color contrast
• Test with screen readers
• Use magnification & zoom

Going deeper than WCAG

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are an essential starting point in an accessibility process. Its success criteria, developed over the past few decades, can provide recommendations for how to improve access. (There is also a new version 2.2 in public working draft.)

True accessibility requires growing your understanding of what makes a good accessible experience, going beyond compliance. Can someone with a disability use this? Would they recommend using it or avoiding it? To get valuable feedback that can make your site or app a lot more usable, consult with and hire people with disabilities.