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Accessibility: Tools

Introduction

There are a number of tools that can help you determine if your web content is accessible.  This page provides an overview of these tools and covers the basics in how to use them.  See the tool's website for more information on how to use the tool.

This page covers:

  • Springshare built-in features

  • Chrome Vox

  • WebAIM's WAVE Web Accessibility tool

Springshare Features

 In LibGuides, the print page feature that can help you understand in which order a screen reader will read the content on your guide. A screen reader generally reads the left column first, then the middle column, then the right column.

In Quick Answers, the content is always read from the top to the bottom.  As there are no columns in Quick Answers, the screen reading order is straightforward.

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LibGuides Print Page

The Print Page link puts the guide into a format suitable for printing.  The order in which the page content is displayed for the printer is also the order in which a screen reader reads the page.  If you are unsure of what order the columns and boxes on your page are read, this is a fast way to find out.

WAVE: Web Accessibility Tool

The WAVE Web Accessibility Tool by WebAIM analyzes a webpage for web accessibility errors.  While this tool provides a lot of information; there are a few features that are of particular interest.

WAVE Help

 

Using WAVE

To analyze a page with WAVE, go to the  WAVE website and enter the URL of the page to be analyzed.

Then click the arrow at the end of the URL text box.

 

WAVE results

WAVE will analyze the web page and produce a report.  The report includes the following information:

  • accessibility errors

  • accessibility alerts

  • accessibility structural elements (such as alt-text)

  • HTML 5 or ARIA elements

  • contrast errors

Accessibility errors are denoted by red flags and contrast errors are denoted by black flags.  All the other information is helpful to know but is not things to cause concern.

WAVE Report

The WAVE report includes a summary on the left of the page and a notated image of the analyzed webpage on the right.  

Click the various sections of the Summary to update the webpage with the relevant information.

WAVE Flags

The WAVE error section is the most relevant section of the WAVE report.  This section covers web accessibility:

  • errors (in red)

  • alerts (in yellow)

  • features (in green)

  • structural element (in blue)

The red flags highlight the web accessibility errors WAVE found on the webpage.  These are issues that must be addressed.  

The yellow alert flags highlight areas of concern.  They should be considered.

The green and blue flags are informational.