What is a Website Accessibility Audit?
The phrase “Website Accessibility Audit” can sound daunting whereas it is actually one of the most positive, inclusive actions you can take as a business or organisation.
It tells the world that you are serious about ensuring that the needs of all the visitors to your website, as far as possible, are met and that you truly wish to get alongside and support them.
Metrics
Metrics mean measurement. In Website Accessibility terms, it means a measure of how well your website stands up against existing standards that can be measured through automated processes.
Automated processes are an excellent starting point but are just that, a starting point. They only account for around 20% of the accessibility issues present on a website. Detailed, thorough manual checking by experts in website accessibility is absolutely essential or your website may be in breach of the Equality Act.
Manual Testing
You may be feeling rather daunted by the amount of automated website accessibility checks we have listed. Do not worry! It is much better to have a clear understanding of what issues may be present.
To fully understand the true accessibility of a website, thorough manual checking is also a must. Our expertise in accessible website design allows us to give you a deeper insight than you might have otherwise..
Our Fab Audit Team!
Although we have worked in website accessibility for disabled people since 2006, we are always learning! We bring in members from our team of disabled people to test the website themselves. We record each live session and include it as part of our final audit.
This part is everyone’s favourite, our clients love it and so do we! No matter how thorough you think you have been, you cannot beat the real live feedback from a disabled tester as they use the website for themselves!
Our Team in Action!
Nearly every other website accessibility audit company will undertake an automated assessment response and may even include some "simulation" of what a disabled person may do. That is where they will stop. If you do not have any disabled people in your team, this... read more »
Public Sector Websites
If you work within the public sector, you will be aware that the UK Government has guidelines on the level of accessibility that Public Sector websites should achieve. There are two issues to consider: when should your website be audited and what should that audit... read more »
Accessible PDFs
What is a PDF? PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format that was developed by Adobe in 1992 that allowed documents to be accessed by anyone, regardless of the technology used to access them. It was made available to everyone, free of charge, in... read more »
Accessibility Statement
A website Accessibility Statement has two main functions. Firstly, it is there to inform visitors to your website how accessible your website is for people with different accessibility needs.
Everyone recognises that we live in an imperfect world and a website Accessibility Statement tells visitors what those imperfections are and what you will be doing to resolve them. If there are issues that cannot be resolved, it is also an excellent opportunity to inform visitors of the alternative provisions you have made.