Testing for Accessibility
Regular testing and review is a necessary part of ensuring a site’s accessibility. From developers to designers to content editors, all who work on a site can play a role in testing.
Site owners working with vendors should ask about testing when talking to vendors about accessibility.
Maintaining Accessible Content
Many sites receive content updates on a regular basis. Editors should make sure content is accessible when editing or adding to a site.
Editors should also check site content for accessibility periodically. Many site owners review content yearly to ensure pages are accurate and up-to-date. Accessibility should be added to that review.
Small sites may be able to ensure all content is accessible in a short time. Larger sites should focus on pages that have a large impact before pages that have a smaller impact.
To learn how to maintain accessible content, see our accessibility best practices and our WCAG checklist.
Building & Testing Accessible Code
Developers and designers should include accessibility into all projects from their start. Most accessibility issues can be identified and planned for as early as the design phase. Testing early and often reduces the amount of rework required in a project.
Yale provides resources to support site owners and developers:
- Sites built on supported platforms likely need much less accessibility testing and maintenance.
- Site owners who want vendor help should consider third party accessibility audits.
- Developers responsible for creating user interfaces should read about accessibility testing procedures.
- To talk with someone about testing, email accessibility@yale.edu.
Site owners may decide to hire a third-party vendor to test the site for accessibility. These vendors provide a list of issues to address and may also address the issues themselves for a fee. Site owners may also identify resources to perform regular reviews themselves.