Accessibility Audits

In today’s digital age, ensuring that websites and mobile apps are accessible to people with diverse abilities is crucial for businesses and organisations to promote inclusivity and comply with legal requirements.

Accessibility audits play a vital role in achieving these objectives, providing a systematic evaluation of a digital platform’s adherence to accessibility guidelines and standards. This article delves into the importance of accessibility audits, the process of conducting them, the various tools and techniques available, and the benefits of maintaining an accessible digital presence.

An accessibility audit is a systematic evaluation of a website, mobile app, or digital platform to assess its compliance with accessibility standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

The audit process identifies potential barriers for users with disabilities and provides recommendations for improving the overall accessibility and user experience. Accessibility audits can be performed using a combination of automated testing tools, manual testing techniques, and real-world user feedback.

By conducting an accessibility audit, organisations can ensure that their digital platforms are inclusive and accommodating to a diverse range of users, helping them meet legal requirements and enhance their brand reputation.

Accessibility audits are typically conducted by specialised accessibility consultants, professionals with expertise in the field, or in-house development teams with accessibility training.

These experts possess a thorough understanding of accessibility guidelines and best practices, as well as the ability to use a combination of automated and manual testing tools to evaluate a digital platform’s compliance with accessibility standards.

When working with external consultants or accessibility experts, organisations benefit from their impartial assessment and specialised knowledge, which can help identify and address potential accessibility barriers more effectively, ultimately leading to a more inclusive and user-friendly digital experience.

Conducting an accessibility audit is crucial for various reasons, including ensuring that digital platforms are inclusive and cater to users with diverse abilities.

By identifying and addressing potential barriers for individuals with disabilities, businesses can provide an equitable experience to all users, demonstrating social responsibility and commitment to digital inclusion.

Moreover, adhering to accessibility standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), helps businesses comply with legal requirements and avoid potential lawsuits or penalties.

Accessibility audits also lead to a better overall user experience, enhancing customer satisfaction, attracting a broader audience, and bolstering brand reputation. In summary, an accessibility audit plays a vital role in creating a more inclusive digital landscape and fostering a positive perception of an organisation.

There isn’t a single “best” tool for conducting an accessibility audit on a website or mobile app, as the most suitable tool for your specific needs may vary depending on factors such as your budget, platform, project complexity, and desired level of integration with your existing processes. However, some popular and widely-used tools include:

• WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool)
• Lighthouse
• axe
• Tenon.io
• Siteimprove

For mobile apps, platform-specific tools like Google’s Accessibility Scanner for Android and Apple’s Accessibility Inspector for iOS can be particularly useful.

It’s important to note that no single tool can catch every accessibility issue. It is often recommended to use a combination of automated testing tools, manual testing techniques, and real-world user feedback to achieve a comprehensive assessment of your digital platform’s accessibility.

1. Improved inclusivity: An accessibility audit ensures your digital platform accommodates users with disabilities, creating a more inclusive environment for everyone.
2. Legal compliance: By adhering to accessibility guidelines, such as WCAG, you meet legal requirements and avoid potential lawsuits or penalties.
3. Enhanced user experience: Addressing accessibility issues results in a better overall user experience for all visitors, including those with and without disabilities.
4. Increased audience reach: Making your website or mobile app more accessible expands your potential user base, as people with disabilities can now access your platform more easily.
5. Positive brand reputation: Demonstrating a commitment to accessibility and inclusivity enhances your organisation’s image and reputation, helping to attract and retain customers.
6. SEO benefits: Many accessibility improvements, such as adding proper headings, alternative text, and semantic markup, can also improve search engine optimization (SEO).
7. Reduced bounce rates: When users can easily navigate and interact with your website or mobile app, they are more likely to stay longer and explore further, reducing bounce rates.
8. Better compatibility: Ensuring accessibility often leads to better compatibility with various devices, browsers, and assistive technologies.
9. Social responsibility: Conducting an accessibility audit showcases your organisation’s commitment to social responsibility and the importance of digital inclusion.
10. Competitive advantage: By offering an accessible digital platform, your organisation stands out from competitors who may have overlooked the importance of accessibility.

Discovering accessibility issues during an audit does not necessarily mean you will get into immediate legal trouble. However, it does signify that your website or mobile app might not be in full compliance with accessibility guidelines and regulations, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Ignoring these issues can lead to potential legal repercussions, especially if users with disabilities experience barriers when trying to access your digital platform. In some cases, businesses have faced lawsuits and penalties for failing to meet accessibility standards.

The best course of action following an audit that reveals accessibility problems is to address them promptly and proactively. Develop a remediation plan based on the audit results, prioritising the most critical issues, and engage your development team or external consultants to make the necessary improvements.

Regularly monitoring and reassessing your platform’s accessibility can help prevent further issues and ensure compliance with accessibility regulations. By demonstrating a commitment to accessibility and taking corrective actions, you mitigate the risk of legal trouble, while also creating a more inclusive and user-friendly digital experience for all users.

After running an accessibility audit that identifies issues, you can follow these steps to address the problems and improve your digital platform’s accessibility:

1. Prioritise issues: Review the audit results and categorise issues based on their severity and impact on users. Prioritise fixing critical problems that severely hinder the user experience for people with disabilities.
2. Develop a remediation plan: Create a plan that outlines the steps needed to address the identified issues, including setting timelines and allocating resources for implementing the necessary changes.
3. Engage your team or external experts: Collaborate with your development team, designers, content creators, and accessibility experts, if necessary, to ensure a well-rounded approach to resolving the issues. Ensure that your team understands the importance of accessibility and receives proper training or guidance if needed.
4. Implement fixes: Start working on the identified issues, following the remediation plan. Be systematic and document the changes made for future reference and evaluation.
   Conduct follow-up tests: Once you have addressed the issues, perform follow-up tests using a combination of automated and manual testing methods. This helps verify that the fixes have been implemented correctly and that no new issues have been introduced.
5. Involve users: Engage users with disabilities, if possible, to gather feedback on the implemented changes. Their real-world experiences can provide valuable insights and help you fine-tune your platform’s accessibility.
6. Monitor and maintain accessibility: Continuously monitor your website or mobile app to ensure that accessibility remains a priority as new features or updates are added. Incorporate accessibility checks into your development and testing workflows to maintain compliance with accessibility standards.
7. Document your efforts: Keep a record of the steps taken to improve accessibility, including the audit results, remediation plan, implemented fixes, and user feedback. This documentation demonstrates your commitment to accessibility and can be valuable in case of legal inquiries or audits.

To ensure ongoing accessibility compliance after an audit and problem resolution, consider implementing the following steps:

1. Integrate accessibility into development workflows: Train your development team on accessibility best practices, and incorporate regular accessibility testing into your development and testing processes. This helps identify and address any new issues before they become a part of your live site or app.
2. Use automated testing tools: Employ automated accessibility testing tools, such as WAVE, axe, or Lighthouse, to periodically check your site or app for potential accessibility issues. These tools can help identify common problems quickly and efficiently.
3. Perform manual testing: Supplement automated testing with manual testing techniques, including keyboard navigation, screen reader testing, and colour contrast analysis. Manual testing can catch issues that automated tools might miss, providing a more comprehensive evaluation of accessibility.
4. Schedule regular accessibility audits: Plan and conduct periodic comprehensive accessibility audits, either in-house or with the help of external experts. Regular audits help ensure that your site remains compliant with accessibility standards over time.
5. Encourage user feedback: Establish a system for users to report accessibility issues or provide feedback on their experience. This feedback can help you identify and address any potential issues that may have been missed during testing.
6. Monitor updates and changes: Keep up-to-date with changes to accessibility guidelines, such as WCAG updates, and adjust your accessibility practices accordingly. Also, be mindful of the impact that third-party plugins, updates, or new features may have on your site’s accessibility.
7. Train and educate staff: Provide ongoing training and resources for your team to ensure they remain knowledgeable about accessibility best practices, guidelines, and techniques. This can help maintain a company-wide commitment to accessibility.
8. Implement a maintenance plan: Develop a long-term accessibility maintenance plan that outlines roles, responsibilities, and timelines for ongoing testing, audits, and updates. This plan helps to ensure that accessibility remains a priority within your organisation.

By adopting these strategies, you can consistently monitor and maintain your site’s accessibility, ensuring it remains inclusive and user-friendly for individuals with diverse abilities.

We don’t just rely upon our ability to look at a site and tick a box to meet the guidelines.

Filter partners with agencies that have specialised knowledge of accessibility and usability issues, providing further support by testing to an enhanced level. 

For clients seeking a comprehensive accessibility evaluation and remediation process, we have partnered with Web Usability. Our long-standing collaboration with Web Usability allows us to work seamlessly together, delivering an optimal solution.

For clients with a large number of PDFs and document files requiring proper tagging and formatting for accessibility, we collaborate with Able Docs, a global leader in accessible documents. Able Docs offers an automated scanning platform that provides a detailed analysis of file structures, ensuring proper tagging and formatting for accessibility.

Ensuring that websites and mobile apps are accessible to people with diverse abilities is crucial for businesses and organizations to promote inclusivity and comply with legal requirements. Accessibility audits play a vital role in achieving these objectives, providing a systematic evaluation of a digital platform’s adherence to accessibility guidelines and standards.

An accessibility audit is a systematic evaluation of a website, mobile app, or digital platform to assess its compliance with accessibility standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The audit process identifies potential barriers for users with disabilities and provides recommendations for improving the overall accessibility and user experience. Accessibility audits can be performed using a combination of automated testing tools, manual testing techniques, and real-world user feedback.

By conducting an accessibility audit, organisations can ensure that their digital platforms are inclusive and accommodating to a diverse range of users, helping them meet legal requirements and enhance their brand reputation. Accessibility audits provide various benefits, such as improved inclusivity, legal compliance, enhanced user experience, increased audience reach, positive brand reputation, SEO benefits, reduced bounce rates, better compatibility, social responsibility, and competitive advantage.

After running an accessibility audit that identifies issues, organisations can prioritise issues, develop a remediation plan, engage their team or external experts, implement fixes, conduct follow-up tests, involve users, monitor and maintain accessibility, and document their efforts. By adopting these strategies, organisations can consistently monitor and maintain their site’s accessibility, ensuring it remains inclusive and user-friendly for individuals with diverse abilities.