Accessibility refers to enabling people with disabilities to use websites and mobile applications. Often when building a website or app, developers focus on making their product functional for most users rather than think about how they can make it accessible. The websites or apps should be designed in such a way that all people with or without disabilities can access it without any difficulties.
What is Accessibility Testing?
Accessibility testing is necessary for ensuring that the websites and applications function properly for as many people as possible. It is essential that testing and development teams work together from day one to identify potential accessibility issues before code is written.
There are various software tools out in the market that can be used for checking the Accessibility of the software system. The best Software Accessibility Testing Tools are as follows:
1. WAVE:
WAVE is a Manual Accessibility Testing Tool. It was formulated by accessibility enterprise WebAIM and Utah State University. It is utilized for assessing the accessibility of web content by annotating the copy of web pages.
WAVE can rapidly recognize probable contrast errors, test size issues, complicating structural elements, and accessible rich internet application (ARIA) challenges such as undefined elements. It can also indicate some suggestions to overcome accessibility issues in the system.
2. Tenon:
Tenon is an API-first, accessibility testing tool that provides immediate remediation service. It assesses web accessibility for WCAG 2.0 and VPAT compliance. It can be utilized to fix any accessibility issues or gaps a site might have while testing is ongoing.
It makes use of APIs that can be easily integrated with the tool we are using for Unit Testing, Acceptance Testing, System Testing, and Issue Tracking. Tenon provides the result of the test in JSON String format which includes the ResultSet node that holds an array of issues.
3. A11y Color Contrast Accessibility Validator:
The A11y is a Free automated accessibility testing tool that checks the color contrast of the webpage to help recognize the optimal contrast between text and backgrounds. It is utilized to infer text legibility and color contrast for graphical and visual components in the web page.
The best way to utilize this tool is on existing web pages which are already there on WordPress websites, SharePoint websites, etc.
4. Google Lighthouse:
Google Lighthouse is an open-source tool that is utilized for enhancing the quality of web pages. It is an automated tool that is Chrome built-in and is user-friendly i.e., it’s easy to use. It provides users with a report of test outcomes that comprises:
- If there is a title on the page.
- If all the buttons on the page have a name.
- If all the images on the page have an ALT attribute.
Google Lighthouse is a web accessibility evaluation tool that does not require users to sign-up for using it.
5. Siteimprove:
Siteimprove Accessibility Checker is a tool to evaluate any web page for accessibility issues. It provides intuitive, visual feedback about content by highlighting detected issues right on the page, actionable information regarding all the issues, it also gives explanations of the impact of these issues on the users.
The platform also enables users to produce high-quality content, drive traffic, measure digital performance, and work towards regulatory compliance. The tool is highly efficient and extremely easy to use.
6. Cynthia Says:
Cynthia Says is a Free Online Accessibility Testing Tool, it tests pages to assess it against the US Access Board’s Section 508 or W3C’s WCAG 2.0 A-AAA Accessibility Guidelines. It is user-friendly and users can just enter the address of the website to run the accessibility test.
The tool provides users with back on the accessibility of a web page in a reporting format that is precise and easy to understand and it tracks the perfect location of the element where the test fails.
7. Axe Browser Extension:
It is a completely free tool that enables users to customize according to their accessibility testing requirements: add particular rules, integrate it with testing frameworks and browsers of their selection. With just a click, users can receive an entire list of violations discovered on their page.
If it is paired with manual testing, the tool can also assist users to fulfill their compliance needs. Furthermore, it also brings out aspects that users can utilize to enhance their website’s UI.
Conclusion
