Accessibility Testing

Accessibility Testing

Systematically test and improve web accessibility.

WCAG Guidelines (Quick Reference)

| Level | Conformance | Target |

|-------|-------------|--------|

| A | Minimum | Must pass all A criteria |

| AA | Standard | Legal standard (ADA, Section 508) |

| AAA | Advanced | Highest level, not always achievable |

Key Success Criteria

• 1.1.1 (A): All non-text content has text alternative
• 1.4.3 (AA): Color contrast ≥ 4.5:1
• 2.1.1 (A): All functionality via keyboard
• 2.4.7 (AA): Visible focus indicators
• 4.1.2 (A): Proper ARIA roles and attributes

Testing Approach

Automated (Catches ~30%)

// axe-core in CI
const { axe } = require('jest-axe');
it('should have no accessibility violations', async () => {
  render(<MyComponent />);
  const results = await axe(document.body);
  expect(results).toHaveNoViolations();
});

Manual (Catches ~40%)

• Tab through all interactive elements
• Test with high contrast mode
• Zoom to 200% — no content should be cut off
• Disable CSS — content should be in logical order

Assistive Technology (Catches ~30%)

• Test with VoiceOver (macOS/iOS)
• Test with NVDA (Windows)
• Test with keyboard only (no mouse/trackpad)

Common Fixes

• Add alt text to all images (decorative = alt="")
• Add aria-label to icon-only buttons
• Ensure forms have associated <label> elements
• Add skip-to-content link
• Use proper heading hierarchy (h1 → h2 → h3, never skip)