Accessibility Insights for Windows

In this post, John Alkire walks through the features of Accessibility Insights for Windows, which enables users to inspect and test Windows applications to find and fix accessibility issues.

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Microsoft
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John Alkire
•5 min read•intermediate•
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•View Original
AzureAzure DevOps

Overview

The article discusses Accessibility Insights for Windows, an open-source tool that helps users inspect and test Windows applications for accessibility issues. It highlights the tool's core functionalities, including Inspect mode, FastPass for automated checks, and the Color Contrast Analyzer, aimed at improving accessibility compliance.

What You'll Learn

1

How to use Inspect mode to analyze accessibility properties of UI elements

2

How to perform automated accessibility checks using FastPass

3

How to manually test color contrast using the Color Contrast Analyzer

4

Why understanding UI Automation events is crucial for accessibility testing

Key Questions Answered

What is Accessibility Insights for Windows and how does it help developers?
Accessibility Insights for Windows is a tool that enables developers to inspect and test Windows applications for accessibility issues. It provides features like Inspect mode for analyzing UI elements, FastPass for automated checks, and a Color Contrast Analyzer to ensure compliance with accessibility standards.
How does FastPass streamline the accessibility testing process?
FastPass is a two-step process that helps developers identify common accessibility issues quickly. It runs automated checks against dozens of accessibility rules and highlights results on a screenshot of the application, providing actionable information and links to sample code for fixes.
What are the key features of Inspect mode in Accessibility Insights?
Inspect mode allows users to view raw accessibility information for UI elements in real-time. It displays the element's position in the UI Automation tree, its properties, and patterns, helping diagnose issues that assistive technologies might encounter.
How does the Color Contrast Analyzer assist in ensuring accessibility?
The Color Contrast Analyzer mode allows users to select colors on-screen and check their contrast ratio against WCAG standards. This helps identify color contrast issues that could affect users with visual impairments, ensuring better accessibility.

Technologies & Tools

Backend
.net Framework
Accessibility Insights for Windows is built using the .NET Framework.
Frontend
Wpf
The tool utilizes Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) for its user interface.
Framework
UI Automation
Accessibility Insights leverages Microsoft's UI Automation framework for accessibility testing.
Library
Axe.windows
Axe.Windows is a NuGet package that provides accessibility testing rules and is integrated into Accessibility Insights.

Key Actionable Insights

1
Utilize Inspect mode to diagnose accessibility issues by examining UI elements' properties and patterns.
This mode provides insights into how assistive technologies perceive your application, allowing you to identify and fix issues that may not be visually apparent.
2
Implement FastPass to quickly assess your application's accessibility compliance.
By running automated checks, you can identify high-impact accessibility issues in under five minutes, making it an efficient part of your development workflow.
3
Regularly test color contrast using the Color Contrast Analyzer to meet accessibility standards.
Ensuring adequate color contrast is crucial for users with visual impairments, and this tool helps you maintain compliance with WCAG guidelines.

Common Pitfalls

1
Neglecting to check UI Automation events can lead to missed accessibility issues.
Many developers focus solely on properties and patterns, but without monitoring events, you may overlook critical interactions that assistive technologies rely on.