Accessibility Testing

In addition to its fourteen design Guidelines, the Web Accessibility Initiative also lists methods to determine a Web site’s compliance to accessibility standards. This Validation Appendix instructs Web designers to "use an automated accessibility tool" and other techniques to locate accessibility errors on Web documents.

There are many organizations that promote Web accessibility by providing validation tools to help designers locate and correct accessibility errors. Some of these are software products that can be purchased, while others are online services that can be used for free. In general, they are programmed to evaluate Web pages according to published standards, and produce diagnostic reports listing problems and suggesting solutions. Though several are available, perhaps the best known accessibility testing tool is Bobby, provided by CAST.

Throughout its development process, the accessibility of Access Art was evaluated using this and other methods. In addition to viewing the site in standard graphical browsers on different platforms, it was also tested using alternative software, such as text-only and self-voicing browsers. Equally important, the site was accessed using different adaptive technologies, like screen readers and alternative input and output devices. Further steps to validate Access Art are described in the Accessibility Review page.