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Accessibility Test

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A final test of your Web page catches any accessibility problems you may have missed during design and development. Use the checklist below as a basic guide for testing your Web page for accessibility. You may still have to make changes or accommodations if a student with a disability enrolls in your course, but these basic tests will help you meet many accessibility requirements.

Review

  1. Check each image carefully to make sure you have set a sensible Link opens in new window.text alternative, or alt text. You can learn more about alt text in the How-To: Images section of this Web site.

    Opera instructions. The free Opera Web browser includes an Images On/Off button. Click the button to turn images off and preview all of your text equivalents to see if they make sense.

  2. Scan the links on your page to confirm they make sense out of context and clearly describe their destination.

  3. Check for color dependency. Print a black-and-white copy of the page (not grayscale).

    More Info. You can also visit the Vischeck Web Site to see what your page looks like to a person who is color-blind.

  4. Preview your Web page without tables to see if the content still makes sense. You can do this quickly and easily with the free Opera Web browser.

    Opera instructions. To preview your Web Page without tables in the Opera Web browser:
    1. Open your Web page in the Opera browser.
    2. Select File, then Preferences....
    3. Click Page Style.
    4. Under Author Mode, deselect the Tables checkbox.

  5. Magnify your Web page and see if the text is still legible. You can use the Windows XP Magnifier (From the Start menu, select All Programs, then Accessories, then Accessibility, then Magnifier) or the zoom feature in the free Opera Web browser to magnify the page.

    Opera instructions. To use the Opera Web browser zoom feature:
    1. Open your Web page in the Opera browser.
    2. Select View → Zoom.
    3. Select a value greater than 100% to magnify the page.

  6. Disable CSS and HTML styles in your browser (or use an older browser such as Link opens in new window.Lynx or Netscape 3) and see if your page is understandable.

  7. Disable Link opens in new window.JavaScript in your browser and test all menus, highlighted text, forms, and pop-up windows.

  8. Use the Tab key to navigate your Web page. Test for any elements that cannot be accessed with the keyboard or that are in an illogical tabbing order.

Validate

  1. Validate your Web site.

    More Info. The W3C HTML Validation Service Web Site and the Web Design Group HTML Validator are free online validators.

  2. Evaluate your Web site for accessibility standards compliance with an accessibility evaluator.

    More Info. The Wave and A-Prompt are free online accessibility evaluators.

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