Accessibility Testing Tools
Links to testing tools on the Web.
There’s no substitution for human reviews, but automated testing tools can help augment an audit of a Web site. These tools are great for discovering things like missing alt text for images, but they won’t catch everything and they might show “false positives” – things that are not really a problem.
Every tool in our list has a free version or a demo that you can try out.
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Automated Test Tools
These free tools can check your Web page to see if it meets Section 508 or W3C’s WCAG guidelines. Some of these tools also check for usability issues.- HiSoftware’s Cynthia Says
- Accmonitor demo
- A-Prompt
- Watchfire (formerly known as Bobby)
- Alphaworks from IBM
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Browser toolkits
These are plug-ins for your browser that let you quickly test pages in a variety of third party test tools like Cynthia, using the built-in links. Preview your page to see if it works with CSS, JavaScript, and images turned off. Validate your HTML.- Web Developer Extension for Firefox
- Web Accessibility Toolbar from NILS (also can simulate different types of disabilities)
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HTML Validation
Check your code to make sure it’s valid. Invalid code might cause your page to break in your visitor’s browser or assistive software.
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Color Tests
Look at your page as a low-vision or color-blind person might.
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Assistive Software Technologies
Browse your site using special software that some disabled users use to see if there are any potential issues. In many cases, the manufacturers offer free demos.Screenreaders read aloud the content of Web pages.
- Jaws (the most common screenreader) from Freedom Scientific
- WindowsEyes from GW Micro
- Lynx is a text-only browser used by some blind users (often used in combination with a screenreader or braille reader). Free simulator at delorie.com.
Screen magnifiers enlarge the content of Web pages.
Some of these tools are designed for accessibility professionals and may be difficult to use.
