What is web accessibility?
Web accessibility is designing web sites and digital tools to be used by people of all abilities. It is close-captioning of videos, making a web page navigable via keyboard, ensuring that an image contains alternative text, and consistent formatting and visual hierarchy. Accessibility is critical for millions of Americans living with a disability.
Accessibility is also the law. In 2018, the Department of Justice referenced the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as the standards by which websites should conform. Since then, and as recently as April 2024, the DOJ has repeatedly reiterated this fact. Accessibility drives customer acquisition and retention by providing users choices in how they would like to interact with content. For example, besides being crucial for viewers who are deaf, close-captioning also improves comprehension and supports language learning for everyone. Many may find building a web site usable by everyone a very daunting task, since disabilities are so diverse. Thankfully, automated accessibility checkers as Chrome extensions helps to level the playing field, by surfacing accessibility violations and providing guidance on how to fix them.
The Axe devTools
The Axe devTools provides free automated testing for web apps on Chrome. With over 400,000 users, this very popular tool catches 57% accessibility issues.
It takes the guesswork out of applying WCAG standards to your site, by providing issue descriptions, location, sources, and their level of impact.
The SiteImprove accessibility checker
The SiteImprove accessibility checker allows you to conveniently assess the accessibility of your web page. It identifies issues based on the latest ACT (Accessibility conformance testing) criteria and provides instant feedback and recommendation.
The instant analysis of web page accessibility and detailed breakdown and clear explanations of how each issue affects visitors to your site, along with recommendations on how to fix the issues, including links to relevant WCAG techniques, gives you powerful insights on how to address accessibility for your site.
Accessibility – a powerful assistant
Accessibility – a powerful assistant. This extension allows you to customize the accessibility of your page through features that include making text easier to read, removing distractions, providing text-to-speech, modify contrasts, font adjustment, and increasing or decreasing the boldness of characters.
Conclusion
With these accessibility Chrome extensions, it is possible to make web sites more accessible for yourself and others. I hope that, by highlighting these tools, you now feel more equipped to embark on the journey to create a more accessible digital experience for everyone.
What is your favorite accessibility Chrome extension? Let me know in the comments!