Aspects of Web Accessibility Auditing

In this unit, in order to provide a foundation for your studies and activities, we identify and explain the key considerations and aspects of web accessibility review work. This overview will include topics such as:

• Types of disabilities and common barriers encountered in web content
• The tools and testing strategies used in detailed web accessibility auditing
• Thinking beyond accessibility testing
• The W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0)

We will look at numerous non-technical and technical aspects of web accessibility auditing. The following sections will provide a foundation of understanding for the units that follow.

Watch the following video from the Government of Australia that summarizes web accessibility. Although the video is from Australia, its ideas are applicable globally. Visit the YouTube site for the video to find the described transcript in full.

Video: Web Accessibility

© Department of Social Services, Australian Government.
Released under the terms of a Standard YouTube License. All rights reserved.

There are many ways to assess accessibility that are not technical in nature. Some of these will be introduced here and expanded on in the units that follow. These strategies simply require some thought, reflection, and ultimately, common sense.