Accessibility Insights for Web

In this post, Jacqueline Gibson goes over Accessibility Insights for Web, Microsoft's open-sourced Chrome and Edge extension that helps users find and fix web accessibility issues.

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Microsoft
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Jacqueline Gibson
•5 min read•intermediate•
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Overview

The article discusses Accessibility Insights for Web, a suite of open-source accessibility testing tools designed to help developers identify and fix web accessibility issues. It highlights two primary workflows: the FastPass experience for quick checks and the Assessment process for detailed evaluations against WCAG 2.1 standards.

What You'll Learn

1

How to use the FastPass experience to identify high-impact accessibility issues quickly

2

How to conduct a detailed Assessment to verify conformance with WCAG 2.1 standards

3

Why manual testing is essential for identifying keyboard accessibility issues

Key Questions Answered

What is Accessibility Insights for Web?
Accessibility Insights for Web is a Chrome and Edge extension that helps users find and fix web accessibility issues by evaluating web pages against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards, specifically WCAG 2.1.
How does the FastPass experience work?
The FastPass experience consists of three steps: Automated Checks to identify accessibility issues, a manual test for Tab Stops to assess keyboard navigation, and an optional Needs Review step to identify elements requiring human assessment.
What does the Assessment workflow include?
The Assessment workflow includes over 20 manual, assisted, and automated checks to verify a page's conformance with WCAG 2.1 level AA standards, covering various categories such as headings and color contrast.
What types of reports can be generated from Accessibility Insights for Web?
Users can export the results of their Automated Checks run to an HTML report file or generate detailed reports in HTML or JSON formats during the Assessment workflow, summarizing their progress and findings.

Technologies & Tools

Frontend
Axe-core
Used as the rules engine for the Automated Checks in Accessibility Insights for Web.

Key Actionable Insights

1
Utilize the FastPass experience to quickly identify accessibility issues on your web pages.
This approach allows developers to address common, high-impact issues in approximately five minutes, streamlining the accessibility evaluation process.
2
Incorporate manual testing for keyboard navigation to ensure a comprehensive accessibility assessment.
Manual tests for Tab Stops help identify issues related to keyboard access that automated tools may miss, ensuring a more inclusive user experience.
3
Leverage the detailed Assessment process to verify compliance with WCAG 2.1 standards.
This process provides a thorough evaluation of your web application, helping to ensure that it meets accessibility requirements and improves usability for all users.

Common Pitfalls

1
Relying solely on automated checks can lead to overlooking critical accessibility issues.
Automated tools may not catch all accessibility problems, particularly those related to keyboard navigation and visual design, making manual testing essential.