Web Accessibility: Self-Checks & Tools

Web content should be accessible wherever possible to ensure digital participation for everyone, whether or not they have a physical impairment. Making web content fully accessible to people with disabilities requires a range of factors to be considered when developing digital services. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), an international standard designed to ensure that web content is accessible and usable for people with disabilities, provide the key framework for accessible web design. The accessibility of websites, online surveys and forms can be assessed using self-checks as well as dedicated tools. The following sections introduce both self-checks and tools that can help you assess the accessibility of digital services.

Table of contents

Test website accessibility yourself

The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative has developed standards and resources to support the creation of accessible web content. Among these are the Easy Checks, which provide a quick initial overview of a website’s accessibility. They do not cover every aspect of accessibility, but they offer a useful first indication of what to look for in accessible web content. These accessibility checks allow you to assess for yourself whether your website contains barriers or obstacles. For a reliable assessment, this initial quick check should be followed by a more detailed review.

The following accessibility checks can provide a useful first overview:

The original English version of the Easy Checks is available here: W3C Easy Checks
The W3C Easy Checks are available in German on the “BIK für Alle” project website: BIK für Alle – Easy Checks
Aktion Mensch describes simple self-checks that require only a browser: Simple web accessibility tests
The German accessibility portal “Barrierekompass” also lists checks that you can carry out yourself: Accessible web – 8 simple tests

Testing PDFs and files for accessibility: PDFs can be checked using the PDF Accessibility Checker from the PDF/UA Foundation. Microsoft also provides its own tool for checking the accessibility of Office files: Accessibility Checker.

Evaluate the accessibility of digital services

Digital services are accessible when people with disabilities can perceive, operate and understand them, and when the content is technically robust enough to work with different browsers and assistive technologies. Developers can use self-checks, for example with browser extensions, to assess the accessibility of digital services against the requirements of BITV and WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

As all information and controls on accessible websites must also be understandable and usable with a screen reader, testing with this type of assistive software is advisable. NVDA, for example, is a free screen reader that can be used to test accessible web content. More information about NVDA is available here: NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access)

An online BITV/WCAG self-assessment is also available to evaluate the current accessibility of a website. Developers who want to follow the BITV requirements can assess their own website against the current 98 test steps of the BITV Test. More information about the self-assessment and the individual test steps is available here: BITV Test self-assessment Depending on your level of expertise, it may also be advisable to commission an external accessibility review. Information about the testing procedure and testing bodies that offer paid WCAG and BIK BITV tests is available here: BITV Test testing bodies

BITV: The German Federal Ordinance on Accessible Information Technology (BITV 2.0) sets accessibility requirements for information technology used by federal public bodies.

WCAG: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an international standard for accessible web content. The current W3C recommendation is WCAG 2.2.

Tools for testing website accessibility

Automated tools can test only some accessibility requirements. They therefore do not replace manual testing or testing with assistive technologies. However, automated checks are useful for gaining an initial impression of the accessibility of your own web content.

Tools for testing website accessibility:

Accessible online forms and surveys that can be embedded into websites using an iframe are easy to create with LamaPoll. Use our checklist for creating accessible online surveys and forms as a guide. The criteria listed there also apply to other accessible web content.

Create an accessible survey