Web Accessibility Recommendation for Business and Organizations
The focus of this page is to provide web accessibility information to web developers and web designers.
Contemporary web browsers provide built-in accessibility features. Unfortunately, not everyone who could benefit knows how to use their web browser’s accessibility utilities. Many others don’t even realize the functions exist. To learn about your browser’s accessibility options, we encourage you to visit:
- Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Resource: Change Text Size or Colors In Your Browser (external link)
For a list of steps we have taken to make this website accessible, please review our website accessibility statement.
Web Accessibility Testing For Web Developers & Designers
Use the tools below to test any web page for compliance with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Guidelines, known as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). You can also test compliance with United States Federal Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
The first link will take you to Cynthia Says, a popular free web accessibility testing tool. “Cynthia Says” enables you to test a site for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Section 508 compliance.
No automated tool can provide thorough testing. Many elements will always require human review. Each testing tool has its way of alerting you to items that require human review. Cynthia Says shows human-review elements as warnings.
The World Wide Web Consortium recommends testing with a minimum of two tools. If every page on your site passes automated testing for Section 508 and WCAG Level AA, you’re well on your way to providing an accessible web experience for disabled visitors. If your pages pass WCAG Level AAA, pat yourself on the back. But, don’t forget to do the human testing for whichever level you are targeting.
(Free) Web Accessibility Testing Resources
- Free web accessibility testing tool: WCAG Level 1, 2 or 3 and Section 508 by Cynthia Says
WAVE Accessibility Testing Tool
Effective January 2010, I added WAVE to my list of recommended accessibility testing tools. Previously, I had been concerned about false positive readings, which they subsequently corrected. I did not receive a reply from WAVE tool provider, WebAIM, to my question about one yellow caution that appeared when I recently tested this site with WAVE. Specifically, WAVE indicates a blockquote tag may be missing on my Home Page, but the tag is not missing. Overall, WAVE provides a clean and simple user interface. If you aren’t already using WAVE, I’d recommend trying it. Just be sure to check any apparent false flags with another accessibility testing tool. WebAIM provides integration tools for WAVE, and there’s a Firefox toolbar add-on as well.
Graphics-Free Browsing — Simulating Lynx
The Lynx View Tool is an easy-to-use online tool intended to approximate how a web page will appear when accessed with the text-only, Lynx browser.
- Lynx View (external link) – See how your pages look in text-mode browsing.
Suggested Reading: Web Accessibility
- Checklists for WCAG (external link) Level A, Level AA, Level AAA
- Introduction to Web Accessibility (external link)
- “World Wide Web Consortium Web Accessibility Initiative” (external link); (WAI)
- “W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines”; (external link) (WCAG)
- Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act: (external link) web accessibility law
- American Bar Association web accessibility resources (external link)
