D. Testing for the web

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Study Tasks

Understand the purpose of ACT Rules.
Know the strengths and limitations of automated testing tools.
Differentiate between the kinds of accessibility issues that can be found with automated tools and issues that require manual testing.
Understand how accessibility software tools can be used at various stages in the web development process (e.g., design/develop/test).
Be familiar with the types of software tools available (site-wide scanning, server-based analysis, unit testing, integration testing, browser developer tools, browser add-ons, simulators, guided manual testing, etc.).
Know how to use the keyboard and screen readers to navigate ARIA custom widgets.
Be familiar with standard keystrokes for interaction with interactive elements in native HTML.
Know how to use the browser's built in Development Tools to inspect source code. </aside>

From Domain 3H: Understand how accessibility software tools can be used at various stages in the web development process (e.g., design/develop/test).

Resources

ACT Rules

A non-normative W3C resource that checks for failures. ACT rules only describe how to test one particular aspect. (aka atomic rule)

Automated testing tools

Strengths	Weaknesses
Identify a11y issues faster	Cannot determine conformance
Can be run throughout the products lifecycle	Can include false positives
Give quick results	Can analyze code but not context
Can provide measure for improvements over time	Not as helpful if the page changes dynamically through user interactions

Examples:

Site-wide scanning and reporting
- AMP (by Level Access)
- Tenon.io (by Level Access)
- WAVE API (by WebAIM)
- Sort site (by PowerMapper)
Server-based page analysis
- Accessibility IMpact (AIM) Report (by WebAIM)
- SiteImprove Accessibility (by SiteImprove)
Browser-based developer/QA tools (one page at a time)
- AInspector for Firefox (by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
- ANDI – Accessible Name and Description Inspector (by the Accessible Solutions
- ARC Platform (by TPGi)
- axe browser add-on (by Deque)
- Branch of the United States Social Security Administration)
- Google accessibility developer tools
- Google Chrome Lighthouse
- JavaScript bookmarklets written to test specific accessibility criteria or expose certain types of markup (by various companies and individuals)
- MS Accessibility Insights
- WAVE browser add-on (by WebAIM)
- Web Developer Toolbar (by Chris Pederick)
Unit testing during development
- axe API (with integration into Selenium, etc., by Deque)
- Tenon API (by Level Access)
Integration testing prior to deployment
- axe API (with integration into Selenium, etc., by Deque)
- Tenon API (by Level Access)
Automated scanning tools used for EU Monitoring
- Access Monitor (open source monitoring tool used by the Portuguese government)
- BOSA Accessibility Checker (open source monitoring tool used by the Belgian government)
- Observatorio de Accesibilidad Web (open source monitoring tool used by the Spanish government)
Guided manual testing based on heuristics
- Accessibility Insights for Web (by Microsoft)
- ARC Platform (by TPGi)
- Axe Auditor (by Deque)
- JAWS Inspect (by Freedom Scientific)
Accessibility API viewers
- Accessibility Viewer (for Windows, by Paciello Group)
- XCode Accessibility Inspector (MacOS, by Apple)
Simulators
- colour Oracle (for colourblindness simulation, by Bernard Jenny)
- No Coffee vision simulator (low vision and other conditions, by Aaron Leventhal)
Single-purpose tools
- Headings Map (by Jorge Rumoroso)
- PEAT – Photosensitive Epilepsy Analysis Tool (by Trace R&D Center)
- Contrast Checker (by WebAIM)
- colour Contrast Analyser (by the Paciello Group)