Accessibility testing and auditing

It’s easier and more effective to build accessibility in at the start of a project than to fix problems later. Make sure to test your product regularly using both automated and manual testing, along with a mix of different assistive technologies. These types of tests will help uncover issues in both the content and design. 

On this page, 'site' is used to refer to websites, web applications and online services.

Our accessibility commitment

All web content created for the B.C. government must meet the most current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AA. The guidance on this page supports testing for WCAG 2.2 Level AA. 

WCAG can be hard to understand. Use our Simplified WCAG guide to learn how to apply them to your work.

Steps to take

It’s important to do both automated and manual testing. Automated testing will not catch all errors, some will need to be reviewed by a human.

1. Use an automated evaluator to highlight errors and alerts
2. Review site for common accessibility errors
3. Manually test the keyboard navigation
4. Test forms for accessibility
5. Test the site with a screen reader
6. Perform magnification testing
7. Perform mobile testing
8. Include people with accessibility needs in user testing
9. Consider if your product needs to have a formal accessibility audit done

Automated evaluation

1. Do an initial assessment of your website using an automated evaluation tool
2. Fix any errors reported in page templates. Page templates typically include things like headers, footers and site navigation. Fixing these issues should reduce the number of errors per page
3. Run the test again on each page and focus on page specific issues
4. Continue until you have resolved all errors and reviewed all warnings. Warnings are potential issues that a human needs to review

These tools are a good starting point, but they cannot confirm that a site is fully accessible. It's possible to pass an automated check and still not be accessible.

Once you’ve reduced your errors, you're ready to test your site manually.

Evaluation tools

There are many online tools for automated testing:

• HTML Validation (W3C) - checks semantic markup. Semantic markup means using HTML elements that describe the purpose of content, such as headings, lists and buttons, so assistive technologies can understand the structure of the page
• WebAIM WAVE tool – a visual guide to error reporting
• AChecker tool – a more technical view to error reporting

There are also some extensions in Chrome Web Store that can be used for secure sites:

• WAVE Evaluation Tool
• Axe

Common errors

Look for common errors like:

• Missing alt tags for images
• Skipped or incorrect heading levels
• Empty links
• Table labels
• Tables used for layout
• Insufficient colour contrast
• Form fields without proper labels

Review content for common errors

Some common accessibility mistakes are not detected through automated testing. Review the content on the site for the following:

• Videos without captions, or captions that have not been edited
• Text over images
• Text in all caps
• Non-descriptive links (links that say 'Click here', 'Install', etc)
• Content that is not in plain language

For a complete list of issues, review the WebAIM WCAG 2 Checklist.

Keyboard navigation

Test your site using only keyboard navigation. Do not use your mouse for any part of this test. This test should be repeated in several browsers for best results.

1. Open a page in a browser
2. Press the 'Tab' key to navigate the elements of your site
3. To go backward, press the 'Shift' and 'Tab' keys
4. To select an element, press the 'Enter' key
5. To dismiss an element, press the 'Escape' key
6. To interact with form elements, use the arrow keys to navigate within the element and use the spacebar to select/show dropdown items

Things to look for

Anything you can do with a mouse must also work with a keyboard. Look for the following issues:

• Do you have access to all information and functions that you can access with a mouse? This includes hover information and active status indicators. Active status indicators show which item is currently selected or in use, such as the current page in a menu
• Does the tab order follow a logical sequence?
• Does the site offer a 'skip to navigation' and 'skip to main content' option? Does the link take you where you expect to go?
• Is the keyboard focus indicator clearly visible? Keyboard focus shows where a keyboard user is currently interacting with the page
• Does focus move logically and never get trapped?
• Is the keyboard focus ever hidden or partially covered by headers, footers, or overlays?

Forms testing

If a form is required to access a service, people must be able to complete it without barriers. Forms are one of the most common areas where accessibility issues occur. Always test them using a keyboard and a screen reader.

Things to look for:

• All form fields have clear, visible labels
• Required fields are clearly identified
• Instructions are easy to find and understand
• Error messages explain what went wrong and how to fix it
• Errors are announced to screen reader users
• Focus moves to error messages or confirmation messages after submission
• Forms can be completed without time limits or unexpected changes
• Confirmation messages are clear and easy to understand

Screen reader testing

Screen readers use keyboard control for navigation. It is recommended to fix any issues with keyboard navigation first.

Navigating with a screen reader is different for each program and browser. Before you start testing, take some time to familiarize yourself with the screen reading software you are using.

1. Allow the screen reader to run through the whole site
2. If possible, cover the monitor and navigate the site using the keyboard only
3. Take notes on areas where using the website or understanding the content becomes difficult

Screen readers

Some sample screen readers:

• NVDA – free software (donation recommended)
• ChromeVox – free Chrome extension
• VoiceOver – Mac specific software
• JAWS – premium software

Things to look for

Listen for:

• Incomplete or vague descriptions
• Skipped content or missing context
• Duplicated or repeating information
• Excessively long or wordy information

Magnification testing

People should be able to increase magnification up to 400% without loss of content or functionality. This test should be repeated in several browsers for best results.

1. Increase the magnification of your browser to 400%
2. Review the site for any challenges or changes to functionality

Things to look for

• Overlapping content
• Content that runs off the screen and becomes unreachable
• Broken functionality, such as navigation menus or dropdown fields that do not work correctly
• Layout and formatting errors

Mobile testing

With many people using smartphones and tablets, it is important to ensure that people can access your website using different devices.

Test your website using a variety of:

• Mobile devices
• Operating systems
• Browsers
• Device types

Things to look for

• Does any functionality behave differently and is it still usable?
• Does the layout display in a logical order and make sense for your audience?
• Is any information hidden or inaccessible?
• Is there any impact to screen reading software?
• Can people complete tasks without dragging, such as moving items or adjusting controls?
• Are buttons and links large enough to activate easily without accidental taps?

User testing

While self-auditing can improve the accessibility of your site, there is no replacement for testing with people who experience accessibility challenges daily. It's important to include these users in your service design and user testing.

When to get a formal accessibility audit

Automated and manual testing can identify many accessibility issues, but they do not replace a formal accessibility audit. Consider getting a formal audit when:

• Launching a new public-facing site or service
• Making significant changes to design, navigation or functionality
• Creating or updating critical services or forms
• Accessibility issues are complex or difficult to resolve
• You need documented evidence of accessibility compliance

A formal audit is typically performed by accessibility specialists and includes detailed testing, documentation and recommendations for fixing issues.