Advanced Techniques for Testing and Auditing Web Accessibility

Tutorial 5 of 5

1. Introduction

This tutorial is designed to guide you through the advanced techniques of testing and auditing web accessibility. Our goal is to ensure that your website is accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities or the devices they are using.

By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to:

  • Understand the importance of web accessibility testing and auditing.
  • Use various tools and techniques to test web accessibility.
  • Implement techniques that enhance the accessibility of your website.

Prerequisites: Basic understanding of web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), and a basic knowledge of web accessibility.

2. Step-by-Step Guide

Understanding Web Accessibility

Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. Testing for accessibility ensures that everyone can access your website content and functionality.

Manual Accessibility Testing

Manual testing is a crucial part of accessibility testing. It involves manually checking pages, content, and functionality against the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

Automated Accessibility Testing

Automated testing is another essential part of accessibility testing. It can help you cover more ground quickly. There are numerous tools available, like aXe, WAVE, Lighthouse, etc.

3. Code Examples

Example 1: Using aXe to test for accessibility

const AxeBuilder = require('axe-webdriverjs');
const WebDriver = require('selenium-webdriver');

let driver = new WebDriver.Builder().forBrowser('firefox').build();
AxeBuilder(driver)
  .analyze((err, results) => {
    if (err) {
      // Handle error somehow
    }
    console.log(results);
  });

In this example, we are using the aXe tool with Selenium WebDriver for testing web accessibility. We build a web driver for Firefox, then use AxeBuilder to analyze the page. The results are then logged to the console.

4. Summary

In this tutorial, we have covered the importance of web accessibility testing and auditing and the use of manual and automated testing techniques. We have also explored one of the popular tools, aXe, for automated testing.

For further learning, explore other automated tools like WAVE, Lighthouse, etc., and try to implement them on your projects.

5. Practice Exercises

  1. Create a basic web page and perform manual accessibility testing based on WCAG guidelines.
  2. Use the aXe tool to perform automated testing on the web page created in the exercise above. Identify and fix any issues.
  3. Explore other automated tools like WAVE or Lighthouse and use them for testing the same web page.

Remember, practice is key to mastering web accessibility testing and auditing. Happy coding!