No FAIL Accessibility Testing

On-Demand Webinar

NOTE: Large files will take more time to download

• Webinar recording: No FAIL Accessibility Testing (WMV, 94 MB, 1.5 hours, June 2011)
• Presentation slides: No #FAIL Accessibility Testing (PPT, 1.98 MB, 50 pages, June 2011)
• Transcript: No FAIL Accessibility Testing (PDF, 42.8 KB, 12 pages, June 2011)

Description

Making websites and software applications 508 compliant has gained a reputation for being expensive and time consuming. This myth is one of the biggest barriers to accessibility. Critical elements for developing accessible sites includes understanding what people with different types of disabilities need; building in accessibility from the project inception; and testing and remediating in increments. By planning carefully, selecting the proper tools, and using practical methods, testing for accessibility can be fast, inexpensive, and effective.

In this course, you'll learn about some of the best tools, and see them in action. Plus, you'll learn how to build an accessibility testing plan, what to test, and tips for a successful outcome.

What You'll Learn

• What testing tools are available
• How to select tools, and which are suitable for each project type
• When to perform accessibility reviews
• What are the key elements to review
• What to avoid during testing
• How to document your testing

About the Presenter

Angela M. Hooker is a senior accessibility specialist for Cascades Technologies, Inc., where she manages inclusive design programs for government clients. As a self-proclaimed "web contortionist," she's brought her web management, editorial, and content management expertise to government agencies, including the General Services Administration and the Library of Congress, for over 13 years. Angela has helped create accessible solutions for websites, software, social media applications, video, blogs, and more.

In addition to inclusive design, Angela is an advocate of web standards and plain language. She contributes articles on accessibility to HowTo.gov; speaks on inclusive design and web standards; and, across the web, is a frequent commenter on web development issues.

Follow Angela on Twitter: @AccessForAll

Tools

Accessibility Color Wheel

ColorZilla (Firefox extension)

CSE HTML Validator (also checks accessibility [Section 508 and WCAG 2.0] and validates CSS)

Firebug (Firefox extension)

FireEyes (Firefox and Firebug extension)

Juicy Studio Quality Assurance Tools (online and toolbars)

Juicy Studio Web Accessibility Toolbar (Firefox)

LogFocus Keyboard Testing Tool by Dirk Ginader

Paciello Group Web Accessibility Toolbar (IE toolbar)

University of Illinois Functional Accessibility Evaluator (online and toolbar)

W3C’s HTML and CSS Validators (online)

Web Developer Toolbar by Chris Pederick (Firefox extension)

WebAIM WAVE (online, upload, or toolbar)

Wickline Web Page Filter (online colorblindness simulation)

Resources and Articles

U.S. Access Board’s Guide to the Standards

Aaron Cannon/Northtemple’s Accessibility Checklist

Joe Dolson’s Automated Accessibility Testing

Dennis Lembree’s 25 Ways to Make Your Website Accessible

The Pickards’ WCAG 2.0 Lite

Ginny Redish and Mary Frances Theofanos’ Observing Users Who Work with Screen Readers

Henny Swan’s Setting Up a Screen Reader Test Environment

Marco Zehe’s How to Use NVDA and Firefox to Test

Section 508 Refresh: Draft Information and Communication Technology Standards and Guidelines

UW-Madison’s Screen Magnification and the Web

WebAIM’s The Importance of Human Evaluation

WebAIM’s WCAG 2.0 Checklist

WCAG 2.0 Quick Reference (displays WCAG 2.0 guidelines by topic and priority)