This collection of resources provides more education and tools for creating accessible content and testing websites for accessibility.
Tools for testing accessibility
Automated tools are designed to quickly scan websites or web applications for compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
It is best to use these tools to create a baseline when testing content. Further testing using assistive technology is highly recommend in order to provide a complete picture.
Siteimprove browser extensions
Siteimprove provides two free browser extensions that work with Google Chrome and FireFox. These extensions allow users to test WCAG compliance on the fly – and explore ways to fix issues.
Learn more about these extensions on Siteimprove’s website.
WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool
WAVE is a free accessibility checker offered by WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind), a non-profit based at Utah State University that provides accessibility solutions. WAVE works with Chrome, FireFox and Microsoft Edge.
ANDI (Accessible Name & Description Inspector)
The Accessible Name & Description Inspector (ANDI) is a free tool offered by the Social Security Administration. ANDI detects potential issues, looks at what a "screen reader should say for interactive elements" and provides suggestions for how to fix issues.
Assistive technology
NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access)
NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) is one of the most widely used screen readers in the world.
Unlike JAWS (Job Access With Speech) – one of the other highly popular screen reader options – it’s completely free to download. NVDA runs on windows computers.
View a quick reference guide for how to use NVDA on Deque University, a website dedicated to providing accessibility learning resources.
Apple Accessibility
Apple devices contain several built-in assistive technology and settings that can can be used without the need of downloading new software.
VoiceOver and VoiceOver + Braille
VoiceOver is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. It also contains settings for users to activate a braille display, which allows people to “enter braille directly on the touchscreen.” That braille is then converted to “text in a caption panel on Mac so sighted people can follow along with VoiceOver descriptions.”
This program can be accessed through the Accessibility settings on Apple devices.
