1. Advancing Digital Accessibility at UL Lafayette
  2. Training & Resources
  3. Testing Tools & Checklists

Testing Tools & Checklists

Accessibility testing is how you verify that your content actually works for people with disabilities — not just that it looks right on your screen. No single tool catches everything. Effective testing combines automated scanning with manual review.

Automated tools catch roughly 30–40% of WCAG issues. The rest require a human to evaluate — particularly issues involving meaning, context, and user experience. 

Use automated tools as your first pass, then complete the manual checklist before publishing.

Automated Testing Tools

These tools scan a page or document and flag potential accessibility issues automatically. Use them early and often — they are fast and catch the most common structural errors.

ToolTypeBest forHow to use it
WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool)Browser extension + web toolWeb pages, public URLsInstall the WAVE browser extension (Chrome, Firefox, Edge). Visit any page and click the extension icon. Free.
Axe DevToolsBrowser extensionWeb pages, web applicationsInstall the Axe extension in Chrome or Firefox. Open DevTools and run the Axe scan. Free version available.
Google LighthouseBuilt into ChromeWeb pagesOpen Chrome DevTools (F12), go to Lighthouse tab, run an Accessibility audit. Built in — no install needed.
SiteImprovePlatform (UL Lafayette licensed)University websites monitored by OCMUL Lafayette uses SiteImprove for ongoing monitoring of all louisiana.edu sites. Contact OCM for access to your site’s report.
Microsoft Accessibility CheckerBuilt into Office appsWord, Excel, PowerPointReview tab → Check Accessibility in any Microsoft Office application. Free and built in.
Adobe Acrobat Accessibility CheckerBuilt into Acrobat ProPDFsTools → Accessibility → Full Check in Adobe Acrobat Pro. Requires Acrobat Pro license.
Panorama (DocHub)Platform (UL Lafayette licensed)PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, Excel filesAvailable to all UL Lafayette faculty and staff — log in with your SSO credentials. Upload any document to DocHub for an automated accessibility scan and remediation guidance. Also integrated directly into Moodle courses. No additional software or license required.
color.a11y.comWeb toolColor contrast checkingEnter two hex color values to check contrast ratio. Free.
WebAIM Contrast CheckerWeb toolColor contrast checkingEnter foreground and background colors. Displays ratio and WCAG pass/fail.
Coolors Color Contrast CheckerWeb toolColor contrast checkingEnter text and background color to check contrast ratio. Free. Color Picker (eyedropper) tool available in some browsers. Displays contrast ratio and usability for small or large text.

Manual Testing

Manual testing means checking your content by hand or with assistive technology. These checks cannot be automated but catch many of the most significant real-world accessibility failures.

Keyboard navigation test

Disconnect or ignore your mouse. Using only the keyboard, try to complete every task on your page:

  • Press Tab to move through all interactive elements — links, buttons, form fields, menus
  • Verify every element receives a visible focus indicator (a visible outline or highlight)
  • Press Enter or Space to activate buttons and links
  • Use arrow keys in dropdowns, menus, and date pickers
  • Verify you can close modals, dialogs, and dropdowns with Escape
  • Confirm focus does not get trapped in any component

Screen reader spot-check

A basic screen reader check does not require expertise — just turn it on and listen:

  • VoiceOver (macOS): Command + F5 to toggle on/off
  • NVDA (Windows, free): download from nvaccess.org
  • Listen to the page read aloud. Does the reading order make sense?
  • Navigate by headings (H key in NVDA/JAWS). Is the structure logical?
  • Navigate by links (K key in NVDA/JAWS). Is every link label self-describing?
  • Check that all images are either described meaningfully or announced as decorative

Color and visual check

  • Use the WebAIM Contrast Checker to verify all text/background combinations
  • View your content in grayscale: does it still make sense without color?
  • Check that all information conveyed by color also has a text label or pattern

Pre-Publish Checklists

  • One H1 on the page
  • Heading levels are sequential — no skipped levels
  • All images have alt text or are marked decorative (alt="")
  • All link text is descriptive without surrounding context
  • No two links have the same text but go to different destinations
  • Color contrast ≥ 4.5:1 for body text, ≥ 3:1 for large text
  • Color is not the only way information is conveyed
  • Page is fully navigable by keyboard with visible focus indicators
  • No content flashes more than 3 times per second
  • Page passes WAVE or Axe scan with zero errors
  • Tested with keyboard navigation (all tasks completable without mouse)

Learn more about web page requirements »

  • Document uses built-in heading styles — not manual bold/sizing
  • Images have alt text or are marked as decorative
  • All hyperlinks use descriptive text
  • Reading order is logical when tested with accessibility checker
  • Color contrast meets minimum ratios
  • Document language is set correctly
  • PDF passes Adobe Acrobat accessibility check with no errors
  • PDF is not a scanned image (text is selectable and searchable)

Learn more about document requirements »

  • Video has accurate, synchronized closed captions
  • A full transcript is available for audio and video content
  • Audio descriptions provided for video content with visual-only information
  • Video does not autoplay with sound
  • Embedded player has accessible controls (play, pause, volume, captions toggle)
  • No content flashes more than 3 times per second

Learn more about multimedia requirements »

  • Subject line is specific and meaningful
  • Key message appears in first paragraph
  • Heading styles used for sections — not bold or font size
  • All link text is descriptive without surrounding context
  • No ‘click here’, ‘learn more’, or bare URL link text
  • Body text contrast ≥ 4.5:1 against background
  • Color is not the only way information is conveyed
  • All informational images have descriptive alt text
  • No all-caps text used for emphasis
  • Text is at least 14px; line height at least 1.5× font size
  • Email is not built entirely from images; text-to-image ratio ≥ 80:20
  • Plain text version configured and complete
  • Email works on mobile devices
  • Unsubscribe link uses descriptive text and is real text (not an image)
  • Built-in accessibility checker has been run

Learn more about email requirements »

  • Alt text is added to all informational images
  • Videos are captioned and captions have been reviewed for accuracy
  • Graphics meet minimum color contrast standards (4.5:1)
  • No rapidly flashing or strobe content is present
  • All multi-word hashtags use CamelCase
  • Link text is descriptive — no "click here" or bare URLs
  • All critical information is available as real text in the post body, not only inside a graphic
  • Any linked documents or pages are accessible

Learn more about social media requirements »