Almost anyone who has tried to use a website when they have a disability knows the frustration of not being able to access all or part of the content. As many as one in five people in the world have some form of disability, including blindness, low vision, hearing loss, color blindness, dexterity issues, and cognitive issues. This means that there is a significant portion of your potential audience that you may be exclude if your website is not accessible.
There are many ways to test your website for accessibility issues. For example, you can use a tool such as accessiBe, or other tools and methods. Here are some tips:
1. Use an automated accessibility checker.
There are many automated accessibility checkers available online, such as the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool from WebAIM or accessiBe. These tools will check your website for accessibility issues and provide you with a report.
2. Check the website yourself.
You can also check your website for accessibility issues yourself. One way to do this is to use a screen reader such as JAWS or NVDA to explore your website. This will give you an idea of how accessible your website is for people who are blind or have low vision.
3. Get feedback from people with disabilities.
One of the best ways to test your website for accessibility issues is to get feedback from people with disabilities. Ask them to use your website and give you feedback on their experience.
4. Check the code.
If you are familiar with HTML, you can also check the code of your website for accessibility issues. Look for things like missing alt attributes on images or improper nesting of elements.
5. Use a tool like Google Lighthouse.
Google Lighthouse is a tool that can audit your website for various issues, including accessibility. Simply navigate to the website you want to test, open the Lighthouse extension, and click “Generate report.”
What to Look For in an Accessibility Report
When you use an automated accessibility checker, you will get a report that includes a list of accessibility issues. Here are some things to look for:
1. Alt text.
Alt-text is used to describe images for people who are blind or have low vision. The text should be clear and descriptive, and it should not include any important information that is not also included in the image.
2. Headings and structure.
HTML headings create a hierarchy of information on a web page. Screen readers also use them to help people navigate the page. Therefore, headings should be properly nested and correctly formatted.
3. Labels and input fields.
Labels and input fields should be properly associated so that people using a screen reader can know which label goes with which input field. They should also be properly formatted so that they are easy to read.
4. Navigation.
Navigation menus should be easy to use and understand, and they should be located in a place where people can easily find them.
5. Color contrast.
The color contrast of text and background should be sufficient so that people with low vision can see it.