How To Run A Web Accessibility Audit Report For Edtech?

When it comes to accessibility, edtech developers are in a unique position owing to legal requirements and the moral obligation to share knowledge. From responsive designing to regular accessibility maintenance of the platforms, their role in building accessible web solutions is paramount. The sheer number of students and various types of disabilities means that developers have to create an all-encompassing solution.

The attempt to get everything right in the first place can be overwhelming. Is the website accessible for learners with hearing impairments? Can it provide an equally enriching experience for people with color blindness? For all you know, your website may become accessible for a part of the population and isolate another huge mass. The solution to this issue is to get a web accessibility audit report. The report helps address significant usability gaps and ensures that your website is adhering to accessibility best practices.

What is a Web Accessibility Audit?

A web accessibility audit is the comprehensive evaluation of a website to assess the digital accessibility of the content. During the audit, the website is reviewed against existing web accessibility guidelines, which provide a standard for development. In addition, the process also includes testing the website’s usability for multiple disabilities, including cognitive, auditory, neurological, physical, speech, or visual.

The audit leverages the use of web accessibility tools to help you identify the not-so-accessible areas on the website. Further, it helps developers get up to speed by providing targeted remedies.

Why should an edtech developer do a web accessibility audit?

An accessibility audit provides a systematic review of the website and helps structure the content and design for enhanced accessibility. It takes a dynamic approach to accessibility testing which makes the website inclusive for every learner. Through an audit, developers can ensure that their website meets international standards thus allowing access to a broader audience.

Moreover, in today’s evolving edtech landscape, accessibility is not just about compliance. It represents the company’s commitment to inclusive growth and equal opportunities. By conducting a web accessibility audit, developers can foster trust among their audience and facilitate belonging. Moreover, for edtech developers, web accessibility compliance serves more than just an ethical purpose. It is crucial from the business perspective as it helps improve the overall user experience.

While making an accessibility audit report is the right thing to do, how can edtech developers make sure that the results align with the requirements of their target audience?

Web Accessibility Audit: How to get it right?

The right approach to accessibility audit ensures that important elements pertaining to the relevant target audience are considered in the early stages. This reduces the time and cost consumed in retroactive iterations. But what does an ideal web accessibility audit template look like? Let us walk you through it.

Step 1: Define the scope of the audit

What are the specific aspects of the edtech product or service that needs to be audited? Should the web solution be compatible with mobile devices? Is it meant to serve a larger set of users concerning diverse backgrounds?

Defining the scope helps narrow down the important factors that need to be considered for scalability. Further, establishing a clear understanding helps select the right tools and methods for conducting the audit.

Step 2: Understanding the relevant guidelines

Adhering to accessibility norms laid out for your specific product type can not only help in legal compliance but also assist in creating more accessible solutions. There are different guidelines for different types and categories of web solutions. The most widely adopted are the international standards established by World Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the US guidelines under Section 508, the European Accessibility Act (EAA), and EN 301549.

WCAG provides a single shared web accessibility standard for meeting the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally.  Similarly, Section 508 is a law that mandates federal agencies to provide disabled people with equal access to electronic information and data.

Step 3: Deploying the right tools

Conducting web accessibility audits becomes easier with the right set of tools at your disposal. While there is a wide range of web accessibility audit tools available, a combination of both automatic and manual testing tools is necessary to ensure effective outcomes.

Automatic tools are software that crawls through a website’s code and content to check through a variety of issues. For starters, it can help detect the rate of flashing content in videos, adjust color contrast reveal what a screen reader should say for interactive elements, and provide guidance on rectifying them. This saves time for both the developer and the content creator.

Following this with manual testing ensures that the website is truly inclusive and accessible. Unlike automated tools, manual testing provides a set of instructions that can be followed for accessibility testing. For example, in case of keyboard testing, one can check for answers to:

1. Is anything mouse-only, such as rollover menus?

2. Is a skip-navigation link available?

3. Does Esc close all dialogs?

One such valuable tool is the W3C Web Accessibility Audit Report Generator, provided by the World Wide Web Consortium. This Tool complements automatic and manual testing by generating detailed reports based on WCAG guidelines thus helping developers identify issues and plan appropriate remediation guidelines.

Step 4: Report generation

An audit report generates a page-by-page summary of areas in need of improvement or remediation. A comprehensive report flags potential accessibility issues, highlights its impact, and provides the developer with a suitable plan of action for effective remediation. The report consists of the following elements:

Executive Summary

The executive summary provides a general overview of the report and specifies the compliance standards for the report. It lays out a non-technical explanation of the issues reported and elaborates on how it impacts users.

Scope

This section lists the exact tasks or URLs audited in the report.

Accessibility Audit Checklist

The audit checklist conducts a concurrent review of the URLs against accessibility standards and points out the success or failure of a specific task. Further, it suggests general solutions for rectifying the issues.

Accessibility Testing Results

The results provide a numerical summary of the total successes and failures under each standard.

Recommendations

This section showcases the user impacts and seeks to provide a breakdown of the potential techniques to improve accessibility on violations noticed during the testing.

Now that your web accessibility audit report is ready, what’s next?

Your website can eventually become inaccessible if you do not update it as per the recommendations. On the completion of the accessibility evaluation, developers, designers, and content creators must involve themselves in the remediation process. After addressing all the barriers, you can generate a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) and an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) to demonstrate your dedication to inclusivity.

VPAT is a document that accounts for the state of accessibility of the specific product with reference to Section 508 for IT accessibility. An ACR is generated by completing the VPAT template with details about the company, product, evaluation methods, and conformance levels.

These certificates can be easily linked on the product description page to showcase your current standing.

Besides, accessibility is a journey that evolves with the evolution of technological offerings. Hence, edtech developers must check their websites for accessibility compliance with regular updates. While automated tools and manual testing techniques come in handy for testing, the importance of an expert opinion cannot be exaggerated. Accessibility experts can help identify the false positives from the report and provide a systematic approach toward the negatives. Looking to integrate accessibility into your commitment to inclusivity? Get in touch with MagicA11y experts today.