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Tools to facilitate accessibility

Creating an accessible website requires the use of suitable tools to test, correct and maintain a high level of accessibility.

 

Here is a selection of useful tools categorized: 

 

Automatic testing tools

  • Lighthouse (Google Chrome): Analyzes accessibility, SEO, and performance.
  • axe DevTools (Deque): Chrome and Firefox extension to test accessibility directly in the browser's DevTools.
  • WAVE (WebAIM): Checks for contrast, ARIA errors, and HTML structure.
  • Pa11y: Open-source automated validation tool.
  • io: API to automatically test accessibility in development processes.

 

Contrast and color checking tools

  • Color Contrast Analyzer (TPG): Allows you to check the contrasts between text and background.
  • Accessible Colors: Helps you choose colors that meet WCAG standards.
  • Sim Color Blindness (only available on macOS and iOS): Simulates the different types of color blindness to check color accessibility.

 

Tools for screen readers and keyboard navigation


  • NVDA (Windows): Open-source screen reader used by many testers.
  • JAWS (Windows): Advanced screen reader, often used in business.
  • VoiceOver (Mac/iOS): A built-in screen reader in Apple products.
  • TalkBack (Android): Screen reader built into Android products.

 

Tools for checking forms and navigation

  • tota11y (Khan Academy): Displays annotations to identify accessibility issues.
  • Focus Indicator: Highlights the currently selected items on the keyboard.
  • HTML_CodeSniffer: Checks for errors in forms and the use of ARIA attributes.

 

Developer tools (CI/CD integration)


  • axe-core: JavaScript library for integrating automated accessibility tests.
  • Pa11y CI: A command-line tool for testing reachability in a CI/CD pipeline.
  • Cypress + axe-core: Allows you to run accessibility tests in end-to-end tests.

 

To go further

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