Creating a website that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is crucial for ensuring that your digital content is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Conducting an accessibility audit is a key step in this process, helping to identify and fix anything that might prevent users from fully accessing and interacting with your website.
1. Understand ADA and Section 508 Guidelines
Before starting your audit, familiarize yourself with the ADA Standards for Accessible Design and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. These guidelines outline the requirements for digital accessibility, ensuring that websites and mobile applications are usable by people with a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities.
2. Choose the Right Tools
Several tools can help you conduct an accessibility audit, including automated testing tools, screen readers, and mobile accessibility testing tools. Automated tools like WAVE, Axe, or Lighthouse can quickly identify some common accessibility issues, while manual testing with screen readers like VoiceOver (for iOS) or TalkBack (for Android) can provide insights into the user experience for visually impaired users.
3. Conduct a Preliminary Automated Scan
Use automated tools to perform a preliminary scan of your website. These tools can detect issues such as missing alt text for images, inadequate contrast ratios, and missing form labels. While automated tools can identify many issues, they are not a substitute for manual testing, as they cannot catch every type of accessibility barrier.
4. Perform Manual Testing
Manual testing involves navigating your website using only a keyboard or a screen reader, simulating the experience of users with certain disabilities. This step is crucial for identifying issues that automated tools may miss, such as logical tab order, meaningful link text, and accessible mobile menus. It's also important to test all interactive elements, such as forms and custom controls.
5. Test on Multiple Devices and Browsers
Accessibility can vary significantly across different devices, screen sizes, and browsers. Test your website on a variety of smartphones and tablets, as well as different web browsers, to ensure a consistent and accessible experience for all users.
6. Consult with Users with Disabilities
If possible, involve users with disabilities in your testing process. Their firsthand experience can provide valuable insights into the usability of your website and help identify issues that might not be apparent to developers or testers without disabilities.
7. Create a Plan to Address Issues
Once you have identified accessibility issues, prioritize them based on their impact on the user experience and develop a plan to address them. This plan should include specific steps to fix the identified problems, as well as timelines and responsibilities.
8. Implement Changes and Monitor Progress
Work with your development team to implement the necessary changes to improve accessibility. After making adjustments, conduct further testing to ensure that the issues have been adequately addressed. Continuously monitor your website for new content and features, ensuring they are accessible and comply with ADA and Section 508 standards.
9. Document Your Findings and Fixes
Keep detailed records of your accessibility audit findings, the actions taken to address issues, and the results of follow-up tests. This documentation can be invaluable for internal review, compliance verification, and if any legal issues arise regarding website accessibility.
Conclusion
Conducting an accessibility audit for a mobile-friendly website requires a comprehensive approach that combines automated tools with manual testing and user involvement. By following these steps, you can ensure your website is not only accessible to users with disabilities but also compliant with ADA and Section 508 standards, ultimately providing a better user experience for everyone.
About the Americans with Disabilities Act
Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA
About the Federal Law
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires federal agencies to make their information and communication technology (ICT) accessible to people with disabilities.
This includes both members of the public and employees. Section 508 compliance also benefits any organization that does business with a federal agency or receives federal funding, including private contractors, the financial industry, healthcare, and many legal organizations.
Section 508 standards not only provide people with disabilities with equitable access to job-critical functions facilitated by government technologies, the standards also ensure federal agencies have the tools to enhance their IT accessibility policies and conduct more effective testing for 508 conformance.