Web Access Centre

Accessibility testing tools

Summary: Information about tools testing for accessibility

• How to use testing tools
• Validation
• Bobby
• A-Prompt
• LIFT
• Plan and test links

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Testing tools:

• Testing with Internet Explorer
• Testing with Navigator
• Testing with Opera
• Speech and braille output

There are a number of tools are available to test pages for accessibility. These can be useful, especially to people who have not handled the more technical aspects of coding and to those who have a large number of pages to check.

How to use testing tools

You should note that although they can help to a great extent, there is currently no way to automate the process in a way that is foolproof. This is simply because the tools themselves can understand the source code, but they cannot understand how the code is being used.

For example, the tool will understand that the page contains a table, but it can not identify whether it is being used for layout or to display data. This can be an issue because different standards and techniques apply to the two different types of tables. Another example is the use of colour and contrast. A checking tool could prompt you on these issues, but essentially accessible use of colour and contrast is about good judgement on behalf of the designer.

A certain level of manual intervention is still required in most cases to either guide the tool itself, or once it has diagnosed an accessibility problem, to change the source code of your web pages by hand. These tools can help, but they should always be used in conjunction with solid design skills and a good level of user testing.

Validation

One of the best ways to start accessibility checking is to ensure that the code you have created is valid and conforms to World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards. If your source code is properly validated before running accessibility checks with the tools listed below, then it will filter out a large number of the issues that may be flagged by an accessibility checker. This means that once you are sure the code is valid, the reports you get back from your accessibility checker will be smaller and easier to work with.

A number of the more common “What You See Is What You Get” (WSIWYG) web editors have the ability to control the type of code that is produced. To ensure that all is well however you should run the source code through a validator. There are a number of validators on the market to choose from, so choose the one that suits your requirements.

A free markup validation service is available in both online and downloadable versions from the W3C themselves.

• Markup Validator
• CSS Validator

Bobby

Bobby is an accessibility testing tool and is available to buy at $299 (at time of writing), or as a free to use online service. It can be configured to select the desired level of accessibility conformance; W3C “A”, “AA”, “AAA” and Section 508. It also allows the user to select individual checkpoints from each.

This tool produces detailed reports, which you can then used to re-edit your web pages and fix the accessibility issues.

A-Prompt

A-Prompt is a free downloadable testing and repair tool from the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre at the University Of Toronto. It can be configured to select the desired level of accessibility conformance W3C “A”, “AA”, “AAA” and Section 508. It also allows the user to select individual checkpoints from each.

This tool has a simple to use graphical interface. When it diagnoses an accessibility issue, it prompts the user to select options to fix it. It then directly updates the source code of your web pages. This bypasses the need to manually edit the source code and fix the problem by hand.

LIFT

Lift is produced by UsableNet which comes in a number of forms including one developed in conjunction with the Neilsen Norman Group adding usability tests. It costs $299 for standard "web accessibility testing only" versions that work with Dreamweaver and FrontPage and $549 for the Neilsen Norman Version.

LIFT has a number of unique features, but by far the most appealing to people who manage large amounts of content is the workflow element, allowing a number of different people to collaborate as a team. It has two main functions that allow you to evaluate and monitor the accessibility of your site, and is fully configurable.

Plan and test links

• Planning
• Intranets
• Checklists
• Testing
• Evaluation and monitoring
• Return to testing for accessibility

For Web Access Centre updates email webaccess@rnib.org.uk

Content author: webaccess@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 06/03/2008 15:41