Accessibility Testing in Six Steps
Found on: What is an Accessibility Testing Tool? blog post
1. Plan – Define Your Goals & Scope
Prioritize usability for all users; that’s the core purpose of digital accessibility.
Understand your legal requirements, and know which compliance level, like WCAG 2.1 AA, applies to you.
Define your testing scope, choose key pages, components, or user flows that impact your users most.
2. Automated Scan
Run an automated scanner, quickly catch common, easy-to-detect accessibility issues.
Get a fast first impression. Scans give you a quick snapshot of a website’s overall digital accessibility health.
3. Manual Review & Testing
Dig deeper into usability testing: check keyboard navigation, screen reader behavior, and visual structure.
Test what scanners cannot, such as focus order, modals, contextual alt text, and accessible name/role.
Include real users with disabilities for real-world insights and help learn best practices from their perspectives.
4. Report & Prioritize
Group issues in a clear format, organized by WCAG criteria, severity, and location.
Triage the most critical blockers. Fix high-impact, high-frequency issues first.
5. Fix & Retest
Assign fixes to the right team members: developers, designers, or content editors.
Recheck each fix manually or with tools, and confirm the issue is fully resolved.
Keep notes and comments for future reference, which are helpful for audits and team learning.
6. Monitor & Maintain
Schedule regular scans, monthly or post-release checks, to help prevent regressions.
Retest after site updates since new code or content can reintroduce issues.
Make accessibility part of your process. Integrate checks into dev, QA, and content workflows.
Keep Accessibility Ongoing
Accessibility isn’t a one-time task—make it part of your regular workflow.
Build with Everyone in Mind
Make your site work for all users, regardless of ability.
Need Help?
Use tools like AAArdvark to simplify scanning, fixing, and tracking accessibility.
Try free: a20y.com
Basic Accessibility Testing Process Flow
Part of the How to Choose the Right Accessibility Testing Tool blog post.
Website Audit
Identify and document accessibility issues
Remediation
Fix issues and improve site usability
Ongoing Monitoring
Track progress and maintain compliance
Accessibility, SEO, and Usability Venn Diagram
Part of the How to Choose the Right Accessibility Testing Tool blog post.
Accessibility
Ensures everyone can use your site, including people with disabilities.
SEO
Optimizes your site so search engines can find and rank it.
Usability
Makes your site intuitive, clear, and enjoyable to navigate.
Accessibility + SEO
User- and search-friendly structure
Accessibility + Usability
Inclusive experience for all
SEO + Usability
Fast, mobile-friendly, engaging
Center Overlap
Easy to find, use, and access
Accessibility Testing Tool Comparison Table
Part of the How to Choose the Right Accessibility Testing Tool blog post.
Automated Testing Tools
- Pros:
- Fast, scalable scans
- Catches common issues
- Easy for beginners
- Cons:
- Finds only ~20–30% of issues
- Misses context-based problems
- May show false positives
Manual Testing Tools
- Pros:
- Detects complex, contextual issues
- Simulates real user experience
- Key for full WCAG compliance
- Cons:
- Needs trained testers
- Slower for large sites
- Quality depends on skill of tester
Hybrid Testing Tools
- Pros:
- Speed + depth in one
- Provides both issue detection and human-written explanations
- Strongest overall coverage
- Cons:
- More setup and management
- Higher cost than solely automated tools
Read the full blog post here: How to Choose the Right Accessibility Testing Tool