A combination of techniques should be employed to adequately test the content for courses, websites, webpages, microsites or web applications for compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

The following steps are the recommended when testing content:

  1. Automatic checkers
  2. Checklists
  3. Manual testing

Any first review of content should establish a baseline of conformance with WCAG success criteria. 

This kind of review is meant to provide an overview of the accessibility in a manner of minutes. In-depth testing using manual techniques should be conducted to create comprehensive picture of any issues or barriers that need to be addressed.

Automatic checkers

Automatic testing tools are designed to quickly scan content for conformance.

Such tools for websites including, but not limited to:

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has a massive library of automatic evaluation tools that work with a variety of platforms and types of content.

Automatic testing tools do not confirm the accessibility of elements including color contrast and keyboard navigation. These elements require manual testing to confirm their accessibility.

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Using checklists

Checklists can be a great way to establish a baseline for the accessibility conformance in just a few minutes. 

We have created a series of lists for webpages, PDFs, Word documents and PowerPoint, based on Easy Checks – A First Review of Web Accessibility by the W3C.

Manual testing

Once you have established a conformance baseline, the next step is manual testing. This should involve users employing assistive technology.

Assistive technology allows people with diverse abilities to navigate and understand the web and digital content. These technologies can include, but are not limited to, the following.

  • Closed captioning: Often helpful for users with hearing impairment or who are deaf
  • High-contrast display: Often helpful for people who are color blind or have visual impairments
  • Keyboard-only navigation: Often helpful for users with limited mobility, users with visual impairments or users who are blind
  • Screen magnification software: Often helpful for people with visual impairments or people with cognitive disorders to mitigate distractions
  • Screen reader (such as JAWS or NVDA): Often helpful for users with visual impairment or who are blind
  • Speech recognition and voice-to-text software: Often helpful for users with limited mobility, users who have visual impairments and more
  • Tablets/mobile devices: Often helpful for users with limited mobility, users who use speech-to-text, users who have visual impairments and more

Use the tabs below to learn three ways you can manually test content for accessibility.

WebAIM has created a table of common keyboard actions people use when navigating the web navigating the web. Three of these actions are highlighted below.

With keyboard testing, you must be able to navigate a webpage or document as well as you would with a mouse.

Tabbing

Every hyperlink, button and interactive feature must get outlined by some kind of focus indicator through tabbing. 

To test this, use Tab to cycle forward and Shift+Tab to cycle backwards. 

Embedded videos must also be accessible through keyboard tabbing. You must be able to cycle through all of the video player controls (volume, play/pause, volume).

Use Shift+Tab to test cycling backwards through these interactive elements.

Enter/Space

Use the Enter key and/or Spacebar for interactive features such as buttons, check boxes, links and video player controls. 

These features must work the same with Enter/Space as they do with a mouse click.

Additional actions

  • Esc: Important when you need to close a modal (e.g. pop-up video window on a webpage)
  • Spacebar and Shift+Spacebar: Quickly scroll down or up

Screen readers are often used by people visual impairment or low vision. This technology is designed to scan a webpage or document and read it back to the user.

Windows

NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access), one of the most commonly used screen readers in the world, is free and works on Windows computers and with the Google Chrome, Fire Fox and Microsoft Edge browsers. Deque University has compiled a handy guide of keyboard shortcuts to use when testing with NVDA.

Apple

Apple users can conduct screen reader testing through the built-in VoiceOver feature. Learn how to activate and use this feature through Apple's VoiceOver Getting Started Guide

Some automatic checkers (like WAVE) can detect when a color combination might have low contrast for an EVMS.edu webpage.

Color contrast must be tested manually for digital documents (such as PDFs and Microsoft Office documents). 

It is highly recommended that you use the EVMS Brand Colors for your documents, presentations and digital content. Visit evms.edu/templates to find accessible templates for PowerPoint and brochures.

There are numerous tools you can use to test color contrast. A couple of these tools are outlined below.

Contrast Grid

Developed by Eight Shapes, Contrast Grid is helpful for testing multiple color combinations. This tool marks whether a given combination DNP (does not pass), AA (passes under 18pt), AA18 (passes 18pt or larger) or AAA (not required for compliance).

WebAIM

WebAIM provides two color contrast checkers on its website for free (see below). Users get instant feedback through these checkers on how color combinations stack up against WCAG requirements.

WebAIM has created a table of common keyboard actions people use when navigating the web navigating the web. Three of these actions are highlighted below.

With keyboard testing, you must be able to navigate a webpage or document as well as you would with a mouse.

Tabbing

Every hyperlink, button and interactive feature must get outlined by some kind of focus indicator through tabbing. 

To test this, use Tab to cycle forward and Shift+Tab to cycle backwards. 

Embedded videos must also be accessible through keyboard tabbing. You must be able to cycle through all of the video player controls (volume, play/pause, volume).

Use Shift+Tab to test cycling backwards through these interactive elements.

Enter/Space

Use the Enter key and/or Spacebar for interactive features such as buttons, check boxes, links and video player controls. 

These features must work the same with Enter/Space as they do with a mouse click.

Additional actions

  • Esc: Important when you need to close a modal (e.g. pop-up video window on a webpage)
  • Spacebar and Shift+Spacebar: Quickly scroll down or up

Screen readers are often used by people visual impairment or low vision. This technology is designed to scan a webpage or document and read it back to the user.

Windows

NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access), one of the most commonly used screen readers in the world, is free and works on Windows computers and with the Google Chrome, Fire Fox and Microsoft Edge browsers. Deque University has compiled a handy guide of keyboard shortcuts to use when testing with NVDA.

Apple

Apple users can conduct screen reader testing through the built-in VoiceOver feature. Learn how to activate and use this feature through Apple's VoiceOver Getting Started Guide

Some automatic checkers (like WAVE) can detect when a color combination might have low contrast for an EVMS.edu webpage.

Color contrast must be tested manually for digital documents (such as PDFs and Microsoft Office documents). 

It is highly recommended that you use the EVMS Brand Colors for your documents, presentations and digital content. Visit evms.edu/templates to find accessible templates for PowerPoint and brochures.

There are numerous tools you can use to test color contrast. A couple of these tools are outlined below.

Contrast Grid

Developed by Eight Shapes, Contrast Grid is helpful for testing multiple color combinations. This tool marks whether a given combination DNP (does not pass), AA (passes under 18pt), AA18 (passes 18pt or larger) or AAA (not required for compliance).

WebAIM

WebAIM provides two color contrast checkers on its website for free (see below). Users get instant feedback through these checkers on how color combinations stack up against WCAG requirements.