Web Axe: web accessibility podcast and blog

Web Axe is a podcast and blog featuring practical web design accessibility tips

What is web accessibility? | web axe [at gmail] NOSPAM! dot com

Current Posts

Podcast #32: Testing for Web Accessibility

Monday, October 30, 2006

All about testing for web accessibility -- the tools, methods, hows and whys.

Download Episode 32 (Testing for Web Accessibility)

[Transcript for Web Axe 32]

News

• IE7 Final Release
• Firefox 2
• New Image Replacement - Monday by Noon
• MSU's Fourth Annual Usability & Accessibility Event

General

• (Generally) Follow guidelines by WCAG, WebAIM, Accessify, this podcast
• Follow any guidelines required by law (ADA, Section 508, DDA [UK])
• Ensure multimedia and PDF are accessible
• Use web standards
• What CANNOT be tested by most automated tools:
• Color contrast
• Simple language
• Tab order (tabindex)

Methods

• Automated tools
• Review site with keyboard only
• Review site with screenreader, if available
• Have impaired users test your site
• Headings used appropriately

Tools

Cynthia Says

• by HiSoftware
• Returns long table, listed by checkpoint, if web page passed that checkpoint or not
• Select WCAG levels or Section 508
• Included in Firefox Developer Toolbar

A-Prompt

• Adaptive Technology Resource Centre, University of Toronto
• Computer application--Windows only
• Performs automatic repairs
• Select WCAG levels or Section 508

Watchfire WebXACT

• Used to be known as Bobby
• Besides accessibility checks, it gives:
• Page download size
• Metadata summary
• Broken links
• Browser compatibility

Firefox Web Developer Toolbar

• turn on/off CSS
• validate XHTML and CSS
• disable javascript
• hide images, display alt tags
• resize browser
• edit CSS
• much, much more!

Accessibility Toolbar

• IE only
• validate XHTML and CSS
• resize browser
• toggle javascript, images/alt
• heading structure

WAVE from WebAim

• four ways to use Accessibility checker
• Method 1: Submit the URI of a page
• Method 2: Upload a page
• Method 3: Install WAVE toolbar in browser
• Method 4: Add WAVE bookmarklet to browser

Lynx viewer

• by Yellowpipe Internet Services
• Just enter URL and give your Lynx text-only rendering
• Also can download and install Lynx application

Opera

• "User Mode" with text browser emulator and more
• Easily turn off images
• Screen sizing

Firefox Speech Browser Extensions

• Foxy Voice - http://foxyvoice.kenche.info/
• Fire Vox http://www.firevox.clcworld.net
• Fangs - Emulator (uses text)
• http://sourceforge.net/projects/fangs

Mobile Web Emulators

• Openwave Phone Simulator
• Nokia Emulator
• Pocket PC - Mobile Windows emulator

Labels: accessibility, podcast, testing, toolbar, web

posted by Dennis at Web Axe at 3:26 PM   0 comments

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Previous Posts

• New Guidelines for Accessibility Launched
• Interview with Paul Boag from Boagworld
• Federal judge sustains discrimination claims again...
• The Title Attribute
• CSS Validator color warnings are not errors
• Interview with Author Christian Heilmann
• One Year Anniversary
• Access Keys
• Firefox is Accessible
• Interview with Jared Smith of WebAIM

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Web Axe was nominated for "Podcast of the Year" in .net magazine's 2008 Best of the Web awards.

To learn more about Dennis Lembree, the founder and main host of Web Axe, visit his web site at www.DennisLembree.com.