Accessibility Audit Services
Many Websites and Digital Materials Aren’t Accessible to People with Disabilities. Our Comprehensive Accessibility Audit Will Tell You How Yours Fare.
Need immediate accessibility audit information? Contact us.
Why do you need to check your website for accessibility? According to the CDC, roughly 1 in 5 Americans report having a disability. The baby boomer generation is increasingly becoming affected by age-related impairments as the youngest of them pass middle age. Yet a vast number of websites, software applications, digital learning materials, and online documents make it difficult for individuals with disabilities to navigate online environments.
So how do you know where the barriers are, or how to remove them? A thorough accessibility audit against recognized accessibility standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act is a critical first step.
Microassist conducts accessibility audits for
- Websites
- Software and mobile applications
- Online training/elearning
- Digital files such as PDFs, documents, presentations, and spreadsheets
- Video and audio assets
- Themes and templates
- Tools used to find, create, and manipulate digital content
This comprehensive audit will map all findings to internationally recognized WCAG 2.0/2.1 AA standards and equip you and your technical and content teams to know what areas need to be brought into compliance. You will also come away with a solid understanding of how guidelines impact information access for those who visit your website.
To discuss testing your website, application, or documents for accessibility, please call us at 512-794-8440 or
use our Accessibility Team contact form.
Why Request an Accessibility Audit?
Whether you are proactively ensuring that your site or application is accessible to all, working to meet a project requirement, or responding to a real or perceived legal action (e.g., a demand letter, litigation, Department of Justice inquiry, Office of Civil Rights complaint, or other similar action), a thoroughly testing your website for accessibility provides:
- specific information on how your product measures against cited standards
- strategies to bring your digital environment into compliance
- recommendations for remediation prioritization
- an overview of the skillsets and training needed to remediate
- fundamental knowledge of accessibility principles through team discussion
The audit report will also provide detailed defect analysis of complex issues allowing remediation teams to more quickly understand and resolve outstanding compliance issues. This holistic approach will give you confidence that the remediation teams have the understanding and tools to effectively and as quickly as possible resolve remediation issues.
Use our Accessibility Team contact form to discuss an audit for digital content, platforms, and third-party apps.
What Does an Accessibility Audit Entail?
At Microassist we believe in quality manual testing against recognized standards such as WCAG 2.0/2.1 and Section 508 to ensure accurate audit results. Automated testing tools only catch 20–40% of known issues. By using the same tools used by individuals in the disability community, the audit will ensure a complete and thorough analysis of accessibility challenges.
Microassist tests for accessibility against as many platforms and assistive technologies as required. This includes the following:
- Desktops: Windows 10, Mac OSX10
- Tablets: iPad iOS9, Android 4.5+
- Mobile: iPhone iOS9, Android 4.5+
- Browsers: IE, Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Safari
- Assistive Technologies:
- Windows 10: Magnifier, ZoomText
- Windows 10: JAWS or NVDA screen readers
- Windows 10: Dragon Naturally Speaking
- Apple OS and iOS: VoiceOver, Zoom
- Android: TalkBack
All findings are thoroughly documented. All reports provide you with critical information needed to make your site accessible:
- Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) – Microassist has the experience and expertise to audit and document product accessibility creating an ACR based on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).
- Web Content Accessibility Audit – Audits outline defects found against the selected accessibility standards. Each defect will be paired with details that explain how and why it relates to specific elements within those standards. This provides you with a detailed yet understandable description of our findings.
- Navigation Design Plan – This report shows how people with vision, mobility, and cognitive challenges perceive and use the navigation and content structures within your environment. It also shows what will need to be remediated to provide a usable experience for individuals with various disabilities.
- Complex Interaction and Best Practice Report – Some issues require significant descriptions of the defect. This report provides those details for elements that are more complex, as well as remediation strategies and best practices.
- Project Management Report – Having the defect information is only half the battle. Microassist can provide guidance in assessing remediation strategies and priorities across various platforms. Our project management report will take the information from previous reports and outline a plan of attack. You’ll get a fundamental understanding of the technical and design elements that need to be remediated, what provides the most immediate and broadest effects, and the level of effort required. All of this adds up to knowing how to proceed and allocate resources for your environment’s remediation.
- Training Plan – We fully support equipping in-house teams with the knowledge needed to remediate and maintain accessible websites and applications. Microassist can bridge any knowledge gaps by creating custom training solutions based on the test results.
When Should You Involve our Accessibility Team?
If you’ve received a legal notice
We recognize the seriousness of receiving a demand letter, lawsuit, Department of Justice decision, or other notification documents. We urge you to contact our highly responsive accessibility team today to see how our accessibility services can steer you in the right direction as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
Scheduling a proactive audit
Many organizations recognize the value of creating an inclusive online environment, as well as getting ahead of any perception of discrimination. Accessibility audit services help you make your content accessible to everyone, helping you reach a broader audience. Contact us, and let our accessibility team evaluate your digital content proactively.
New Development
If you are developing a new digital website or application, we recommend that you involve our Accessibility team as early in the process as possible. Generally, if you involve our team in the planning, and design stages of the project it minimizes disruption and reworks. We are also happy to work with your team during the development and testing phases of the project.
Additional Accessibility Services
Inaccessible websites, applications, and documents are much like physically inaccessible environments: They prevent many with disabilities from experiencing and interacting with your organization in a meaningful way. We’ll work with you to ensure compliance and open your public-facing content to those previously prevented from enjoying it.
In addition to audits and testing, Microassist’s suite of accessibility services includes