Note: This document is a draft [see change log in progress] and should not be referenced or quoted under any circumstances. This document is under development by the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG), and will be offered to other W3C groups and the public for review.
Web accessibility evaluation tools are software programs or online services that help determine if a Web site is accessible, and help improve Web accessibility. This document explains different features of evaluation tools and helps to determine which types of tools and features would best meet your specific needs.
WAI encourages the development and evolution of Web accessibility evaluation tools, and maintains an extensive list of evaluation, repair and transformation tools. WAI does not endorse or promote any single tool or vendor.
Read the section Conformance Evaluation to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 of the document Evaluating Web Sites for Accessibility to find out how to carry out a comprehensive evaluation which combines semi-automatic, manual, and user testing of accessibility features. There are several types of tools that help developers evaluate the conformance of Web sites to the Checkpoints of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, they are divided into semi-automated and manual tools as described below; sometimes evaluation tools provide both these modes.
Generally, semi-automated evaluation tools attempt to evaluate Web pages with little or no user interaction. Usually these tools produce reports with the results of the checks which they carried out. Sometimes, these tools have wizard interfaces which display one result at a time; possibly with some repair options. Asking the following questions about the features of semi-automated evaluation tools help determine their efficiency:
Manual Web accessibility evaluation tools are designed to involve Web developers during the evaluation process. Some tools insert icons and markup into the Web pages to highlight the results of the accessibility checks on the pages. Other tools guide Web developers through checks in a certain order; these checks are usually carried out manually by the developers. Manual Web accessibility evaluation tools help educate Web developers in understanding the impact and context of the accessibility barriers which leads to long term resolution of mistakes. Asking the following questions about the features of manual evaluation tools help determine their efficiency:
Especially during the design phase, Web developers are interested in learning about how their Web site renders on different configurations and browsers in order to identify potential accessibility barriers, identify missing accessibility features, or to enhance existing ones. Standard browser features such as turning off images, disabling scripting, or enlarging font sizes are helpful in evaluating accessibility features of Web sites. Additionally, filter and transformation tools assist the evaluation of Web sites by modifying the appearence of the Web pages; for example by displaying the content in text only, by presenting the Web pages without color, or by reading the content aloud. In order to evaluate the accessibility features of a Web site effectively, evaluation tools which provide the following should be used:
Last modified: $Date: 2005/02/01 21:54:57 $ by $Author: shadi $
Last updated 20 January 2005 by Shadi Abou-Zahra. Editors: Shadi Abou-Zahra and Judy Brewer, with assistance from participants of the EOWG.
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