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Section 508 Compliance Explained

by Rajesh K | Nov 24, 2025 | Accessibility Testing, Blog, Latest Post | 0 comments

As federal agencies and their technology partners increasingly rely on digital tools to deliver services, the importance of accessibility has never been greater. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal organizations and any vendors developing technology for them to ensure equal access to information and communication technologies (ICT) for people with disabilities. This includes everything from websites and mobile apps to PDFs, training videos, kiosks, and enterprise applications. Because accessibility is now an essential expectation rather than a nice-to-have, teams must verify that their digital products work for users with a wide range of abilities. This is where Accessibility Testing becomes crucial. It helps ensure that people who rely on assistive technologies such as screen readers, magnifiers, voice navigation tools, or switch devices can navigate, understand, and use digital content without barriers.

However, many teams still find Section 508 and accessibility requirements overwhelming. They may be unsure which standards apply, which tools to use, or how to identify issues that automated scans alone cannot detect. Accessibility also requires collaboration across design, development, QA, procurement, and management, making it necessary to embed accessibility into every stage of the digital lifecycle rather than treating it as a last-minute task. Fortunately, Section 508 compliance becomes far more manageable with a clear, structured approach. This guide explains what the standards require, how to test effectively, and how to build a sustainable accessibility process that supports long-term digital inclusiveness.

What Is Section 508?

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies and organizations working with them to ensure that their electronic and information technology (EIT) is accessible to people with disabilities. This includes users with visual, auditory, cognitive, neurological, or mobility impairments. The standard ensures that digital content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust, four core principles borrowed from WCAG.

The 2018 “Section 508 Refresh” aligned U.S. federal accessibility requirements with WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA, though many organizations now aim for WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 for better future readiness.

What Section 508 Compliance Covers (Expanded)

Websites and web applications: This includes all public-facing sites, intranet portals, login-based dashboards, and SaaS tools used by federal employees or citizens. Each must provide accessible navigation, content, forms, and interactive elements.

PDFs and digital documents: Common formats like PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel must include tagging, correct reading order, accessible tables, alt text for images, and proper structured headings.

Software applications: Desktop, mobile, and enterprise software must support keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, logical focus order, and textual equivalents for all visual elements.

Multimedia content: Videos, webinars, animations, and audio recordings must include synchronized captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions where needed.

Hardware and kiosks: Physical devices such as kiosks, ATMs, and digital signage must provide tactile access, audio output, clear instructions, and predictable controls designed for users with diverse abilities.

Why Test for Section 508 Compliance?

Testing for Section 508 compliance is essential not only for meeting legal requirements but also for enhancing digital experiences for all users. Below are expanded explanations of the key reasons:

1. Prevent legal challenges and costly litigation

Ensuring accessibility early in development reduces the risk of complaints, investigations, and remediation orders that can delay launches and strain budgets. Compliance minimizes organizational risk and demonstrates a proactive commitment to inclusion.

2. Improve user experience for people with disabilities

Accessible design ensures that users with visual, auditory, cognitive, or mobility impairments can fully interact with digital tools. For instance, alt text helps blind users understand images, while keyboard operability allows people who cannot use a mouse to navigate interfaces effectively.

3. Enhance usability and SEO for all users

Many accessibility improvements, such as structured headings, descriptive link labels, or optimized keyboard navigation, benefit everyone, including users on mobile devices, people multitasking, or those with temporary impairments.

4. Reach broader audiences

Accessible content allows organizations to serve a more diverse population. This is particularly important for public-sector organizations that interact with millions of citizens, including elderly users and people with varying abilities.

5. Ensure consistent user-centered design

Accessibility encourages design practices that emphasize clarity, simplicity, and reliability, qualities that improve overall digital experience and reduce friction for all users.

Key Components of Section 508 Testing

1. Automated Accessibility Testing

Automated tools quickly scan large volumes of pages and documents to detect common accessibility barriers. While they do not catch every issue, they help teams identify recurring patterns and reduce the manual testing workload.

What automated tools typically detect:

• Missing alt text: Tools flag images without alternative text that screen reader users rely on to understand visual content. Automation highlights both missing and suspiciously short alt text for further review.
• Low color contrast: Automated tests measure whether text meets WCAG contrast ratios. Poor contrast makes reading difficult for users with low vision or color vision deficiencies.
• Invalid HTML markup: Errors like missing end tags or duplicated IDs can confuse assistive technologies and disrupt navigation for screen reader users.
• Improper heading structure: Tools can detect skipped levels or illogical heading orders, which disrupt comprehension and navigation for AT users.
• ARIA misuse: Automation identifies incorrect use of ARIA attributes that may mislead assistive technologies or create inconsistent user experiences.

Automated testing is fast and broad, making it an ideal first layer of accessibility evaluation. However, it must be paired with manual and assistive technology testing to ensure full Section 508 compliance.

2. Manual Accessibility Testing

Manual testing validates whether digital tools align with WCAG, Section 508, and real-world usability expectations. Because automation catches only a portion of accessibility issues, manual reviewers fill the gaps.

What manual testing includes:

• Keyboard-only navigation: Testers verify that every interactive element, including buttons, menus, forms, and pop-ups, can be accessed and activated using only the keyboard. This ensures users who cannot use a mouse can fully navigate the interface.
• Logical reading order: Manual testers confirm that content flows in a sensible order across different screen sizes and orientations. This is essential for both visual comprehension and screen reader accuracy.
• Screen reader compatibility: Reviewers check whether labels, instructions, headings, and interactive components are announced properly by tools like NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver.
• Proper link descriptions and form labels: Manual testing ensures that links make sense out of context and form fields have clear labels, so users with disabilities understand the purpose of each control.

Manual testing is especially important for dynamic, custom, or interactive components like modals, dropdowns, and complex form areas where automated tests fall short.

3. Assistive Technology (AT) Testing

AT testing verifies whether digital content works effectively with the tools many people with disabilities rely on.

Tools used for AT testing:

• Screen readers: These tools convert digital text into speech or Braille output. Testing ensures that all elements, menus, images, and form controls are accessible and properly announced.
• Screen magnifiers: Magnifiers help users with low vision enlarge content. Testers check whether interfaces remain usable and readable when magnified.
• Voice navigation tools: Systems like Dragon NaturallySpeaking allow users to control computers using voice commands, so interfaces must respond to verbal actions clearly and consistently.
• Switch devices: These tools support users with limited mobility by enabling navigation with single-switch inputs. AT testing ensures interfaces do not require complex physical actions.

AT testing is critical because it reveals how real users interact with digital products, exposing barriers that automation and manual review alone may overlook.

4. Document Accessibility Testing

Digital documents are among the most overlooked areas of Section 508 compliance. Many PDFs and Microsoft Office files remain inaccessible due to formatting issues.

Document accessibility requirements (expanded):

• Tags and proper structure: Documents must include semantic tags for headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables so screen readers can interpret them correctly.
• Accessible tables and lists: Tables require clear header rows and properly associated cells, and lists must use correct structural markup to convey hierarchy.
• Descriptive image alt text: Images that convey meaning must include descriptions that allow users with visual impairments to understand their purpose.
• Correct reading order: The reading order must match the visual order so screen readers present content logically.
• Bookmarks: Long PDFs require bookmarks to help users navigate large amounts of information quickly and efficiently.
• Accessible form fields: Interactive forms need labels, instructions, and error messages that work seamlessly with assistive technologies.
• OCR for scanned documents: Any scanned image of text must be converted into searchable, selectable text to ensure users with visual disabilities can read it.

5. Manual Keyboard Navigation Testing

Keyboard accessibility is a core requirement of Section 508 compliance. Many users rely solely on keyboards or assistive alternatives for navigation.

Key focus areas (expanded):

• Logical tab order: The tab sequence should follow the natural reading order from left to right and top to bottom so users can predict where focus will move next.
• Visible focus indicators: As users tab through controls, the active element must always remain visually identifiable with clear outlines or highlights.
• No keyboard traps: Users must never become stuck on any interactive component. They should always be able to move forward, backward, or exit a component easily.
• Keyboard support for interactive elements: Components like dropdowns, sliders, modals, and pop-ups must support keyboard interactions, such as arrow keys, Escape, and Enter.
• Complete form support: Every field, checkbox, and button must be accessible without a mouse, ensuring smooth form completion for users of all abilities.

6. Screen Reader Testing

Screen readers translate digital content into speech or Braille for users who are blind or have low vision.

Tools commonly used:

• NVDA (Windows, free) – A popular, community-supported screen reader ideal for testing web content.
• JAWS (Windows, commercial) – Widely used in professional and government settings; essential for ensuring compatibility.
• VoiceOver (Mac/iOS) – Built into Apple devices and used by millions of mobile users.
• TalkBack (Android) – Android’s native screen reader for mobile accessibility.
• ChromeVox (Chromebook) – A useful option for ChromeOS-based environments.

What to test:

• Proper reading order: Ensures content reads logically and predictably.
• Correct labeling of links and controls: Allows users to understand exactly what each element does.
• Logical heading structure: Helps users jump between sections efficiently.
• Accessible alternative text: Provides meaningful descriptions of images, icons, and visual components.
• Accurate ARIA roles: Ensures that interactive elements announce correctly and do not create confusion.
• Clear error messages: Users must receive understandable explanations and guidance when mistakes occur in forms.

7. Multimedia Accessibility Testing

Multimedia content must support multiple types of disabilities, especially hearing and visual impairments.

Requirements include:

• Closed captions: Provide text for spoken content so users who are deaf or hard of hearing can understand the material.
• Audio descriptions: Narrate key visual events for videos where visual context is essential.
• Transcripts: Offer a text-based alternative for audio or video content.
• Accessible controls: Players must support keyboard navigation, screen reader labels, and clear visual focus indicators.
• Synchronized captioning for webinars: Live content must include accurate, real-time captioning to ensure equity.

8. Mobile & Responsive Accessibility Testing

Mobile accessibility extends Section 508 requirements to apps and responsive websites.

Areas to test:

• Touch target size: Buttons and controls must be large enough to activate without precision.
• Orientation flexibility: Users should be able to navigate in both portrait and landscape modes.
• Zoom support: Content should reflow when zoomed without causing horizontal scrolling.
• Compatibility with screen readers and switch access: Ensures full usability for mobile AT users.
• Logical focus order: Mobile interfaces must maintain predictable navigation patterns as layouts change.

Best Practices for Sustainable Section 508 Compliance (Expanded)

• Train all development, procurement, and management teams: Ongoing accessibility education ensures everyone understands requirements and can implement them consistently across projects.
• Involve users with disabilities in testing: Direct feedback from real users reveals barriers that automated and manual tests might miss.
• Use both automated and manual testing: A hybrid approach provides accuracy, speed, and depth across diverse content types.
• Stay updated with evolving standards: Accessibility guidelines and tools evolve each year, so teams must remain current to maintain compliance.
• Maintain an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) using VPAT: This formal documentation demonstrates compliance, supports procurement, and helps agencies evaluate digital products.
• Establish internal accessibility policies: Clear guidelines ensure consistent implementation and define roles, responsibilities, and expectations.
• Assign accessibility owners and remediation timelines: Accountability accelerates fixes and maintains long-term accessibility maturity.

Conclusion

Section 508 compliance testing is essential for organizations developing or providing technology for federal use. By expanding testing beyond simple automated scans and incorporating manual evaluation, assistive technology testing, accessible document creation, mobile support, and strong organizational processes, you can create inclusive digital experiences that meet legal standards and serve all users effectively. With a structured approach, continuous improvement, and the right tools, your organization can remain compliant while delivering high-quality, future-ready digital solutions across every platform.

Ensure your digital products meet Section 508 standards and deliver accessible experiences for every user. Get expert support from our accessibility specialists today.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Pa11y for Automated Accessibility Testing

by Rajesh K | Jun 4, 2025 | Accessibility Testing, Blog, Latest Post | 13 comments

In an increasingly digital world, accessibility is no longer a luxury or an afterthought it is a necessity. More than one billion people, or about 15% of the global population, live with some form of disability. These disabilities range from visual and auditory impairments to motor and cognitive challenges, each presenting unique obstacles to interacting with online content. Without thoughtful design and proactive accessibility measures, websites and applications risk alienating a substantial portion of users. Accessibility is not only about inclusivity but also about legal compliance. Global regulations, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), mandate that digital properties be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Beyond compliance, accessible websites also benefit from broader audiences, improved SEO rankings, and enhanced user experience for everyone. While manual accessibility audits are invaluable, they can be time-consuming and costly. This is where automated accessibility testing plays an essential role. By identifying common accessibility issues early in the development lifecycle, automation reduces manual effort, accelerates remediation, and fosters a culture of accessibility from the outset. One of the most reliable and widely-used tools for automated testing is pa11y .

This guide offers a step-by-step walkthrough of how to leverage pa11y for automated accessibility testing, ensuring that your web projects are accessible, compliant, and user-friendly.

What is Pa11y and Why Use It?

Pa11y (pronounced “pally”) is a powerful, open-source tool specifically designed for automated accessibility testing. It simplifies the process of detecting accessibility violations on web pages and provides actionable reports based on internationally recognized standards such as WCAG 2.0, WCAG 2.1, and Section 508.

Developed with flexibility and ease of integration in mind, pa11y can be used both manually through a command-line interface and automatically in CI/CD pipelines for continuous accessibility validation. It supports multiple output formats, making it easy to generate reports in JSON, CSV, or HTML, depending on your project requirements. Additionally, pa11y allows customization of test parameters, letting you adjust timeouts, exclude specific elements from scans, and even interact with dynamic content.
Despite its automated prowess, pa11y is not a replacement for manual accessibility audits. Rather, it serves as an efficient first line of defense, catching up to 50% of common accessibility issues before manual reviews begin. Used strategically, pa11y can significantly reduce the workload on manual auditors and streamline compliance efforts.

Setting Up Pa11y for Automated Accessibility Testing

Before diving into testing, you need to install and configure pa11y properly. Thankfully, the setup process is straightforward and requires only a few basic steps.

To install Pa11y globally using npm (Node Package Manager), run the following command:

npm install -g pa11y pa11y-ci

This installation will make both pa11y and pa11y-ci available system-wide. While pa11y is ideal for individual, manual tests, pa11y-ci is specifically designed for automated testing within continuous integration environments.

Once installation is complete, verify it by checking the version:

pa11y --version

Creating a Configuration File

For repeatable and consistent testing, it’s advisable to create a .pa11yci configuration file. This file outlines the standards and settings Pa11y will use during testing.

Here’s a sample configuration:

{
  "defaults": {
    "standard": "WCAG2AA",
    "timeout": 30000,
    "wait": 2000,
    "hideElements": ".ad-container, .chat-widget"
  },
  "urls": [
    "https://your-site.com/page1",
    "https://your-site.com/page2"
  ]
}

This configuration sets the standard to WCAG 2.1 Level AA, imposes a timeout of 30 seconds for loading, adds a 2-second wait time to ensure dynamic content has fully rendered, and excludes distracting elements like ads and chat widgets from the analysis. Tailoring these options helps you focus your tests on meaningful content, reducing false positives and ensuring more accurate results.

With pa11y installed and configured, you’re ready to begin testing.

Running Your First Automated Accessibility Test with Pa11y

Testing with Pa11y is designed to be both simple and powerful. You can perform a basic scan by running:

pa11y https://your-site.com

This command will analyze the specified URL against the configured standards and output any violations directly in your terminal.

For larger projects involving multiple pages or more complex requirements, using pa11y-ci in conjunction with your .pa11yci file allows batch testing:

pa11y-ci --config .pa11yci

Pa11y also supports additional features like screen capture for visual documentation:

pa11y https://your-site.com --screen-capture

This command captures a screenshot of the page during testing, which is invaluable for visually verifying issues.

The ease of initiating a test with Pa11y is one of its greatest strengths. Within seconds, you’ll have a detailed, actionable report highlighting issues such as missing alt text, improper heading structure, low contrast ratios, and more.

Key Areas to Focus On During Automated Accessibility Testing

Automated accessibility testing with Pa11y can cover a broad range of compliance checks, but focusing on key areas ensures a more effective audit.

Validating Page Structure and Navigation

A proper heading hierarchy is crucial for screen reader navigation. Headings should follow a logical order (H1, H2, H3, etc.) without skipping levels. Pa11y can help you identify pages where headings are misused or missing entirely.

In addition to headings, confirm that your site provides skip navigation links. These allow users to bypass repetitive content and go straight to the main content area, dramatically improving keyboard navigation efficiency.

For these checks, run:

pa11y https://your-site.com --viewport-width 1440

Testing with an adjusted viewport ensures that layout changes, like responsive design shifts, don’t introduce hidden accessibility barriers.

Ensuring Text Readability and Scalability

Text must be easily resizable up to 200% without breaking the layout or hiding content. Pa11y can flag text-related issues, though manual checks are still recommended for verifying font choices and testing text-to-speech compatibility.

Running:

pa11y https://your-site.com/page --ignore "color-contrast"

allows you to focus on structural issues first before tackling visual concerns like color contrast manually.

Testing Multimedia Content Accessibility

For websites containing video or audio content, accessibility compliance extends beyond page structure. Captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions are critical for making media accessible.

Pa11y can simulate interactions such as playing a video to validate the availability of controls:

pa11y https://your-site.com/video-lesson --actions "play video" --wait 5

This approach ensures that dynamic content is evaluated under realistic user conditions.

Verifying Interactive Elements

Forms, quizzes, and other interactive elements often present significant accessibility challenges. Common issues include unlabeled input fields, inaccessible error messages, and improper focus management.

You can automate the testing of these elements with Pa11y:

pa11y https://your-site.com/form --actions "set field #name to John" "click element #submit"

Pa11y’s ability to simulate user inputs and interactions adds significant depth to your automated accessibility testing efforts.

Advanced Testing Techniques with Pa11y

To achieve even deeper insights, Pa11y offers advanced testing capabilities, including the simulation of different user conditions.

Simulating Color Blindness

Color accessibility remains one of the most critical and commonly overlooked aspects of web design. Pa11y allows simulation of different color profiles to detect issues that could affect users with color vision deficiencies:

pa11y https://your-site.com --chromeLaunchConfig.args="--force-color-profile=srgb"

Testing Increased Font Size

Adjusting font sizes can reveal hidden layout issues that negatively impact accessibility. You can simulate larger font settings using:

pa11y https://your-site.com --chromeLaunchConfig.args="--font-size=20"

This test helps ensure your content remains accessible and readable even when users adjust their browser settings.

Automating Tests Across Multiple Pages

For websites with paginated content or multi-page flows, you can automate testing across several URLs by scripting Pa11y:

const pa11y = require('pa11y');
const pages = [1, 2, 3, 4];


pages.forEach(page => {
  pa11y(`https://your-site.com/page=${page}`, {
    standard: 'WCAG2AA'
  });
});

This technique ensures that large websites are thoroughly evaluated without manual intervention at each step.

Integrating Pa11y into CI/CD Pipelines for Continuous Accessibility

One of Pa11y’s most powerful features is its ease of integration into CI/CD pipelines. Incorporating accessibility checks into your deployment workflow ensures that accessibility remains a priority throughout the software development lifecycle.

By adding a Pa11y step to your CI/CD pipeline configuration (e.g., in Jenkins, CircleCI, GitHub Actions), you can automate checks like this:

pa11y-ci --config .pa11yci

Any new code or feature must pass accessibility tests before moving to production, preventing regressions and promoting a culture of accessibility-first development.

Why Manual Testing Remains Critical

Although automated accessibility testing with Pa11y covers a wide range of issues, it cannot detect every potential barrier. Automation is excellent at identifying technical problems like missing form labels or improper heading structure, but some issues require human judgment.

For example, while Pa11y can confirm the presence of alternative text on images, it cannot assess whether the alt text is meaningful or appropriate. Similarly, evaluating whether interactive elements provide intuitive keyboard navigation or whether the visual hierarchy of the page makes sense to a user cannot be fully automated.

Therefore, manual testing such as navigating a website with a screen reader (like NVDA or VoiceOver) or using keyboard-only navigation is still an essential part of a comprehensive accessibility strategy.

Addressing Special Considerations for eLearning and Complex Content

When it comes to testing specialized digital content, such as eLearning platforms, the complexity of accessibility requirements increases. Websites designed for learning must not only ensure basic navigation and text readability but also make interactive components, multimedia, and complex mathematical content accessible to a wide audience.

Testing eLearning Content with Pa11y

eLearning platforms often contain paginated content, multimedia lessons, quizzes, and even mathematical formulas. Here’s how to methodically test them using Pa11y.

First, ensure that the page structure, including logical headings and navigational elements, supports assistive technologies like screen readers. Logical reading order and skip navigation links are crucial for users who rely on keyboard navigation.

To automate tests for multiple chapters or sections, you can use a simple JavaScript script like the one below:

const pa11y = require('pa11y');
const pages = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];


pages.forEach(page => {
  pa11y(`https://your-elearning.com/book?page=${page}`, {
    standard: 'WCAG2AA',
    screenCapture: `${__dirname}/captures/page-${page}.png`
  });
});

This ensures that every page is consistently checked against accessibility standards without requiring manual intervention for each chapter.

Testing Multimedia Components

Many eLearning platforms use videos and animations to engage users. However, accessibility for these elements demands captions, audio descriptions, and transcripts to cater to users with visual or auditory impairments. Pa11y can simulate user actions such as playing videos to test if necessary controls and accessibility features are in place:

pa11y https://your-elearning.com/book/video-lesson --actions "play video" --wait 5

Yet, some accessibility verifications, like ensuring captions are accurate or that the audio description captures the necessary context, must still be manually checked, as automated tools cannot fully assess qualitative aspects.

Testing Mathematical and Scientific Content

Websites offering scientific or mathematical content often use MathML or other markup languages to represent complex equations. Automated testing can highlight missing accessibility attributes, but manual validation is required to ensure the alternative text descriptions are meaningful and that the semantic markup remains intact even when zoomed or read aloud by screen readers.

Pa11y provides a starting point:

pa11y https://your-elearning.com/math-chapter --ignore "aria-valid-attr-value

However, an evaluator must still ensure that alternative text conveys the correct scientific meaning a critical aspect, especially in educational contexts.

Recommended Testing Workflow: Combining Automated and Manual Methods

To create a truly robust accessibility testing strategy, it’s best to integrate both automated and manual processes. Here’s a recommended workflow that ensures comprehensive coverage:

• Initial Automated Scan: Begin with a Pa11y automated scan across all primary web pages or application flows. This first pass identifies low-hanging issues like missing form labels, inadequate ARIA attributes, or improper heading structures.
• Manual Verification of Key Pages: Select key pages for manual review. Use screen readers such as NVDA, VoiceOver, or JAWS to assess logical reading order and alternative text accuracy. Keyboard navigation testing ensures that all interactive elements can be accessed without a mouse.
• Interactive Element Testing: Pay particular attention to forms, quizzes, or navigation menus. Verify that error messages are clear, focus management is handled correctly, and that users can interact seamlessly using assistive technologies.
• Remediation of Detected Issues: Address all flagged issues and retest to confirm that fixes are effective.
• Regression Testing: After each deployment or major update, perform regression testing using Pa11y to catch any new or reintroduced accessibility issues.
• Continuous Monitoring: Integrate Pa11y scans into your CI/CD pipeline to automate regular checks and prevent accessibility regressions over time.

This balanced approach ensures early issue detection and ongoing compliance, reducing the risk of accessibility debt an accumulation of issues that becomes harder and costlier to fix over time.

Integrating Automated Accessibility Testing in LMS Platforms

Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Moodle or Blackboard often present additional challenges because of their complexity and interactive content formats like SCORM packages. Pa11y’s flexible testing capabilities extend to these environments as well.

For instance, SCORM packages can be uploaded and tested for accessibility compliance using the following Pa11y command:

pa11y --file-upload /path/to/scorm.zip --file-type zip

Additionally, since many LMS interfaces embed content within iframes, Pa11y can be configured to bypass cross-origin restrictions:

pa11y https://lms.com/course --chromeLaunchConfig.args="--disable-web-security

Testing LMS platforms systematically ensures that online education is inclusive and accessible to all learners, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities.

Common Accessibility Issues Detected by Pa11y

During automated scans, Pa11y frequently identifies recurring issues that compromise accessibility. These include:

• Missing Form Labels: Forms without labels prevent screen reader users from understanding the function of input fields.
• Insufficient Color Contrast: Low contrast between text and background can make content unreadable for users with visual impairments.
• Missing ARIA Attributes: ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes help assistive technologies interpret dynamic content correctly.
• Improper Heading Structure: Skipping heading levels (e.g., jumping from H1 to H4) disrupts the logical flow for users relying on screen readers.
• Keyboard Navigation Blockers: Elements that are inaccessible through keyboard navigation can create barriers for users unable to use a mouse.

By catching these issues early, developers can prioritize fixes that make the biggest difference for accessibility.

Manual Testing Checklist: Enhancing What Automation Can’t Detect

While Pa11y’s automated testing is powerful, there are limitations that only human judgment can address. A manual testing checklist ensures complete accessibility coverage:

• Screen Reader Testing: Navigate the website using screen readers like NVDA (Windows) or VoiceOver (Mac/iOS) to ensure a logical reading order and accurate alternative text for images and diagrams.
• Keyboard Navigation: Tab through every interactive element on the page to ensure all features are reachable and focus states are visibly clear.
• Zoom and Magnification: Test the site at 200% zoom to ensure that the layout remains usable and that text scales properly without breaking.
• Cognitive Testing: Evaluate the clarity of instructions, the consistency of layouts, and the manageability of content chunks to cater to users with cognitive impairments.

These manual checks uncover user experience flaws that automated tools can’t identify, ensuring that the digital product is genuinely inclusive.

Limitations of Automated Accessibility Testing

Despite its numerous benefits, automated accessibility testing is not foolproof. Tools like Pa11y are excellent at highlighting technical violations of accessibility standards, but they fall short in areas requiring subjective evaluation. Pa11y cannot:

• Assess the relevance or descriptiveness of alternative text.
• Determine if the color scheme provides enough context or emotional cues.
• Evaluate the logical grouping of related form fields.
• Analyze the simplicity and clarity of written content.
• Detect issues in complex dynamic interactions that require human cognitive interpretation.

These limitations underscore the necessity of combining automated testing with thorough manual verification to achieve comprehensive accessibility.

Pa11y’s Key Features: Why It’s Indispensable

Pa11y’s popularity among accessibility professionals stems from several key features:

• WCAG 2.0/2.1 and Section 508 Compliance Checks: Covers the most critical accessibility standards.
• CI/CD Pipeline Integration: Supports DevOps best practices by making accessibility a part of the continuous delivery process.
• Customizable Rule Sets: Tailor checks to meet specific project or organizational needs.
• Multiple Output Formats: Generate reports in JSON, CSV, or HTML formats for diverse stakeholder requirements.
• Screen Reader Compatibility Verification: Basic validation to ensure that screen readers can interpret the page structure accurately.

Pa11y strikes a balance between depth and usability, making it an essential tool in any accessibility testing toolkit.

Conclusion: Building Truly Accessible Digital Experiences with Pa11y

In today’s digital economy, accessibility isn’t optional it’s essential. With the growing emphasis on inclusivity and stringent legal requirements, automated accessibility testing has become a non-negotiable part of the software development lifecycle. Pa11y offers a powerful and flexible platform for detecting and resolving many common accessibility issues. However, the best results come when automation is complemented by manual testing. Automated tools efficiently identify low-hanging compliance issues, while manual methods capture the nuanced aspects of user experience that machines cannot assess.

By integrating Pa11y into your workflow and following a rigorous, hybrid testing strategy, you can create digital products that not only comply with standards but also provide meaningful, seamless experiences for all users. Accessibility is no longer a checklist it’s a mindset. Start today, and build websites and applications that are welcoming, usable, and inclusive for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Automated Accessibility Testing: Tools, CI/CD Integration, and Business Benefits

by Rajesh K | May 24, 2025 | Accessibility Testing, Blog, Latest Post | 3 comments

Almost every site has accessibility problems. Recent large-scale scans of the world’s most-visited pages revealed that more than 94 percent failed at least one WCAG success criterion. At the same time, digital-accessibility lawsuits in the United States exceeded 4,600 last year, most aimed squarely at websites. With an estimated 1.3 billion people living with disabilities, accessibility is no longer optional; it is a core quality attribute that also improves SEO and overall user experience.This is where accessibility testing, especially automated accessibility testing enters the picture. Because it can be embedded directly into the development pipeline, issues are surfaced early, legal exposure is lowered, and development teams move faster with fewer surprises.

What Is Automated Accessibility Testing?

At its core, automated accessibility testing is performed by software that scans code, rendered pages, or entire sites for patterns that violate standards such as WCAG 2.1, Section 508, and ARIA authoring requirements. While manual testing relies on human judgment, automated testing excels at detecting objective failures like missing alternative text, incorrect heading order, or low colour contrast within seconds. The result is rapid feedback, consistent enforcement, and scalable coverage across thousands of pages.

Key Standards in Focus

To understand what these automated tools are looking for, it’s important to know the standards they’re built around:

WCAG 2.1

Published by the W3C, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines define the success criteria most organisations target (levels A and AA). They cover four pillars: perceptibility, operability, understandability, and robustness.

Section 508

A U.S. federal requirement harmonised with WCAG in 2018. Any software or digital service procured by federal agencies must comply with this mandate.

ARIA

Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) attributes provide semantic clues when native HTML elements are unavailable. They’re powerful but if applied incorrectly, they can reduce accessibility making automated checks critical.

Tool Deep Dive: How Automated Scanners Work

Let’s explore how leading tools operate and what makes them effective in real-world CI/CD pipelines:

axe-core

During a scan, a JavaScript rules engine is injected into the page’s Document Object Model. Each element is evaluated against WCAG-based rules, and any violation is returned as a JSON object containing the selector path, rule ID, severity, and remediation guidance.

In CI/CD, the scan is triggered with a command such as npx axe-cli, executed inside GitHub Actions or Jenkins containers. Front-end teams can also embed the library in unit tests using jest-axe, so non-compliant components cause test failures before code is merged. A typical output lists issues such as colour-contrast failures or missing alternative text, enabling rapid fixes.

Pa11y and pa11y-ci

This open-source CLI tool launches headless Chromium, loads a specified URL, and runs the HTML-CS API ruleset. Results are printed in Markdown or JSON, and a configuration file allows error thresholds to be enforced—for example, failing the pipeline if more than five serious errors appear.

In practice, a job runs pa11y-ci immediately after the build step, crawling multiple pages in one execution and blocking releases when limits are exceeded.

Google Lighthouse

Lighthouse employs the Chrome DevTools Protocol to render the target page, apply network and CPU throttling to simulate real-world conditions, and then execute audits across performance, PWA, SEO, and accessibility.

The accessibility portion reuses an embedded version of axe-core. A command such as lighthouse https://example.com –accessibility –output html can be placed in Docker or Node scripts. The resulting HTML report assigns a 0–100 score and groups findings under headings like “Names & Labels,” “Contrast,” and “ARIA.”

WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation)

A browser extension that injects an overlay of icons directly onto the rendered page. The underlying engine parses HTML and styles, classifying errors, alerts, and structural information.

Although primarily manual, the WAVE Evaluation API can be scripted for nightly sweeps that generate JSON reports. Developers appreciate the immediate, visual feedback—every icon links to an explanation of the problem.

Tenon

A cloud-hosted service that exposes a REST endpoint accepting either raw HTML or a URL. Internally, Tenon runs its rule engine and returns a JSON array containing priority levels, code snippets, and mapped WCAG criteria.

Dashboards help visualise historical trends, while budgets (for example, “no more than ten new serious errors”) gate automated deployments. Build servers call the API with an authentication token, and webhooks post results to Slack or Teams.

ARC Toolkit

Injected into Chrome DevTools, ARC Toolkit executes multiple rule engines—axe among them—while displaying the DOM tree, ARIA relationships, and heading structure.

Interactive filters highlight keyboard tab order and contrast ratios. QA engineers use the extension during exploratory sessions, capture screenshots, and attach findings to defect tickets.

Accessibility Insights for Web

Two modes are provided. FastPass runs a lightweight axe-based check, whereas Assessment guides manual evaluation step by step.

The associated CLI can be scripted, so team pipelines in Azure DevOps often run FastPass automatically. Reports display pass/fail status and export issues to CSV for further triage.

jest-axe (unit-test library)

Component libraries rendered in JSDOM are scanned by axe right inside unit tests. When a violation is detected, the Jest runner fails and lists each rule ID and selector.

This approach stops accessibility regressions at the earliest stage—before the UI is even visible in a browser.

Under-the-Hood Sequence

So how do these tools actually work? Here’s a breakdown of the core workflow:

• DOM Construction – A real or headless browser renders the page so computed styles, ARIA attributes, and shadow DOM are available.
• Rule Engine Execution – Each node is compared against rule definitions, such as “images require non-empty alt text unless marked decorative.”
• Violation Aggregation – Failures are collected with metadata: selector path, severity, linked WCAG criterion, and suggested fix.
• Reporting – CLI tools print console tables, APIs return JSON, and extensions overlay icons; many also support SARIF for GitHub Security dashboards.
• Threshold Enforcement – In CI contexts, scripts compare violation counts to budgets, fail builds when a limit is breached, or block pull-request merges.

Integrating Accessibility into CI/CD

Automated scans are most effective when placed in the same pipeline as unit tests and linters. A well-integrated workflow typically includes:

• Pre-Commit Hooks – Tools like jest-axe or eslint-plugin-jsx-a11y stop obvious problems before code is pushed.
• Pull-Request Checks – Executions of axe-core or Pa11y run against preview URLs; GitHub Checks annotate diffs with issues.
• Nightly Crawls – A scheduled job in Jenkins or Azure DevOps uses Pa11y or Tenon to crawl the staging site and publish trend dashboards.
• Release Gates – Lighthouse scores or Tenon budgets decide whether deployment proceeds to production.
• Synthetic Monitoring – Post-release, periodic scans ensure regressions are detected automatically.

With this setup, accessibility regressions are surfaced in minutes instead of months—and fixes are applied before customers even notice.

Benefits of Automation

Here’s why automation pays off:

• Early Detection – Violations are identified as code is written.
• Scalability – Thousands of pages are tested in minutes.
• Consistency – Objective rules eliminate human variance.
• Continuous Compliance – Quality gates stop regressions automatically.
• Actionable Data – Reports pinpoint root causes and track trends.

What Automation Cannot Catch

Despite its strengths, automated testing can’t replace human judgment. It cannot evaluate:

• Correctness of alternative-text descriptions
• Logical keyboard focus order for complex widgets
• Meaningful error-message wording
• Visual clarity at 200 percent zoom or higher
• Cognitive load and overall user comprehension

That’s why a hybrid approach—combining automation with manual screen reader testing and usability sessions—is still essential.

Expert Tips for Maximising ROI

To make the most of your automated setup, consider these best practices:

• Budget Critical Violations – Fail builds only on errors that block non-visual usage; warn on minor alerts.
• Component-Level Testing – Run jest-axe inside Storybook or unit tests to stop issues early.
• Colour-Contrast Tokenisation – Codify design-system colour pairs; run contrast checks on tokens to prevent future failures.
• Use ARIA Sparingly – Prefer native HTML controls; use ARIA only when necessary.
• Educate the Team – Make passing accessibility checks part of the Definition of Done.

Quick Checklist Before Shipping

• Axe or Pa11y executed in CI on every commit
• Lighthouse accessibility score ≥ 90
• All images include accurate, concise alt text
• Interactive controls are keyboard-operable
• Colour contrast meets WCAG AA
• Manual screen-reader pass confirms flow and announcements

Conclusion

Accessibility isn’t just about checking a compliance box it’s about creating better digital experiences for everyone. Automated accessibility testing allows teams to deliver accessible software at scale, catch problems early, and ship confidently. But true inclusivity goes beyond what automation can catch. Pair your tools with manual evaluations to ensure your application works seamlessly for users with real-world needs. By embedding accessibility into every stage of your SDLC, you not only meet standards you exceed expectations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Accessibility Testing with Puppeteer

by Rajesh K | Apr 28, 2025 | Accessibility Testing, Blog, Latest Post | 0 comments

As digital products become essential to daily life, accessibility is more critical than ever. Accessibility testing ensures that websites and applications are usable by everyone, including people with vision, hearing, motor, or cognitive impairments. While manual accessibility reviews are important, relying solely on them is inefficient for modern development cycles. This is where automated accessibility testing comes in empowering teams to detect and fix accessibility issues early and consistently. In this blog, we’ll explore automated accessibility testing and how you can leverage Puppeteer a browser automation tool to perform smart, customized accessibility checks.

What is Automated Accessibility Testing?

Automated accessibility testing uses software tools to evaluate websites and applications against standards like WCAG 2.1/2.2, ADA Title III, and Section 508. These tools quickly identify missing alt texts, ARIA role issues, keyboard traps, and more, allowing teams to fix issues before they escalate.

Note: While automation catches many technical issues, real-world usability testing still requires human intervention.

Why Automated Accessibility Testing Matters

• Early Defect Detection: Catch issues during development.
• Compliance Assurance: Stay legally compliant.
• Faster Development: Avoid late-stage fixes.
• Cost Efficiency: Reduces remediation costs.
• Wider Audience Reach: Serve all users better.

Understanding Accessibility Testing Foundations

Accessibility testing analyzes the Accessibility Tree generated by the browser, which depends on:

• Semantic HTML elements
• ARIA roles and attributes
• Keyboard focus management
• Visibility of content (CSS/JavaScript)

Key Automated Accessibility Testing Tools

• axe-core: Leading open-source rules engine.
• Pa11y: CLI tool for automated scans.
• Google Lighthouse: Built into Chrome DevTools.
• Tenon, WAVE API: Online accessibility scanners.
• Screen Reader Simulation Tools: Simulate screen reader-like navigation.

Automated vs. Manual Screen Reader Testing

Automated Accessibility Testing with Puppeteer

Puppeteer is a Node.js library developed by the Chrome team. It provides a high-level API to control Chrome or Chromium through the DevTools Protocol, enabling you to script browser interactions with ease.

Puppeteer allows you to:

• Open web pages programmatically
• Perform actions like clicks, form submissions, scrolling
• Capture screenshots, PDFs
• Monitor network activities
• Emulate devices or user behaviors
• Perform accessibility audits

It supports both:

• Headless Mode (invisible browser, faster, ideal for CI/CD)
• Headful Mode (visible browser, great for debugging)

Because Puppeteer interacts with a real browser instance, it is highly suited for dynamic, JavaScript-heavy websites — making it perfect for accessibility automation.

Why Puppeteer + axe-core for Accessibility?

• Real Browser Context: Tests fully rendered pages.
• Customizable Audits: Configure scans and exclusions.
• Integration Friendly: Easy CI/CD integration.
• Enhanced Accuracy: Captures real-world behavior better than static analyzers.

Setting Up Puppeteer Accessibility Testing

Step 1: Initialize the Project

mkdir a11y-testing-puppeteer
cd a11y-testing-puppeteer
npm init -y

Step 2: Install Dependencies

npm install puppeteer axe-core
npm install --save-dev @types/puppeteer @types/node typescript

Step 3: Example package.json

{
  "name": "accessibility_puppeteer",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "main": "index.js",
  "scripts": {
    "test": "node accessibility-checker.js"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "axe-core": "^4.10.3",
    "puppeteer": "^24.7.2"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@types/node": "^22.15.2",
    "@types/puppeteer": "^5.4.7",
    "typescript": "^5.8.3"
  }
}

Step 4: Create accessibility-checker.js

const axe = require('axe-core');
const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');

async function runAccessibilityCheckExcludeSpecificClass(url) {
  const browser = await puppeteer.launch({
    headless: false,
    args: ['--start-maximized']
  });

  console.log('Browser Open..');
  const page = await browser.newPage();
  await page.setViewport({ width: 1920, height: 1080 });

  try {
    await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: 'networkidle2' });
    console.log('Waiting 13 seconds...');
    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 13000));

    await page.setBypassCSP(true);
    await page.evaluate(axe.source);

    const results = await page.evaluate(() => {
      const globalExclude = [
        '[class*="hide"]',
        '[class*="hidden"]',
        '.sc-4abb68ca-0.itgEAh.hide-when-no-script'
      ];

      const options = axe.getRules().reduce((config, rule) => {
        config.rules[rule.ruleId] = {
          enabled: true,
          exclude: globalExclude
        };
        return config;
      }, { rules: {} });

      options.runOnly = {
        type: 'rules',
        values: axe.getRules().map(rule => rule.ruleId)
      };

      return axe.run(options);
    });

    console.log('Accessibility Violations:', results.violations.length);
    results.violations.forEach(violation => {
      console.log(`Help: ${violation.help} - (${violation.id})`);
      console.log('Impact:', violation.impact);
      console.log('Help URL:', violation.helpUrl);
      console.log('Tags:', violation.tags);
      console.log('Affected Nodes:', violation.nodes.length);
      violation.nodes.forEach(node => {
        console.log('HTML Node:', node.html);
      });
    });

    return results;

  } finally {
    await browser.close();
  }
}

// Usage
runAccessibilityCheckExcludeSpecificClass('https://www.bbc.com')
  .catch(err => console.error('Error:', err));

Expected Output

When you run the above script, you’ll see a console output similar to this:

Browser Open..
Waiting 13 seconds...
Accessibility Violations: 4

Help: Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combination (landmark-unique)
Impact: moderate
Help URL: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.10/landmark-unique?application-axeAPI
Tags: ['cat.semantics', 'best-practice']
Affected Nodes: 1
HTML Nodes: <nav data-testid-"level1-navigation-container" id="main-navigation-container" class="sc-2f092172-9 brnBHYZ">

Help: Elements must have sufficient color contrast (color-contrast)
Impact: serious
Help URL: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.1/color-contrast
Tags: [ 'wcag2aa', 'wcag143' ]
Affected Nodes: 2
HTML Node: <a href="/news" class="menu-link">News</a>

Help: Form elements must have labels (label)
Impact: serious
Help URL: https://dequeuniversity.com/rules/axe/4.1/label
Tags: [ 'wcag2a', 'wcag412' ]
Affected Nodes: 1
HTML Node: <input type="text" id="search" />

...

Browser closed.

Each violation includes:

• Rule description (with ID)
• Impact level (minor, moderate, serious, critical)
• Helpful links for remediation
• Affected HTML snippets

This actionable report helps prioritize fixes and maintain accessibility standards efficiently.

Best Practices for Puppeteer Accessibility Automation

• Use headful mode during development, headless mode for automation.
• Always wait for full page load (networkidle2).
• Exclude hidden elements globally to avoid noise.
• Capture and log outputs properly for CI integration.

Conclusion

Automated accessibility testing empowers developers to build more inclusive, legally compliant, and user-friendly websites and applications. Puppeteer combined with axe-core enables fast, scalable accessibility audits during development. Adopting accessibility automation early leads to better products, happier users, and fewer legal risks. Start today — make accessibility a core part of your development workflow!

Frequently Asked Questions

NVDA Guide: Essential Tips for Accessibility Success

by Anika Chakraborty | Mar 5, 2025 | Accessibility Testing, Blog, Latest Post | 1 comment

NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a powerful screen reader designed to assist individuals with visual impairments in navigating and interacting with digital content. It enables users to access Windows-based applications, websites, documents, and emails by converting on-screen text into speech and Braille output. With support for multiple languages and Braille displays, NVDA provides accessibility across various digital platforms. It also offers customizable keyboard shortcuts, speech synthesis options, and screen magnification features, allowing users to tailor their experience based on individual needs. In addition to its role in daily accessibility, NVDA is an essential tool for accessibility testing, helping organizations evaluate whether their digital products meet key accessibility standards such as WCAG, Section 508, ADA, and EN 301 549. By simulating how visually impaired users interact with websites and applications, testers can identify and fix accessibility barriers, ensuring an inclusive digital experience. This blog will guide you through how to use NVDA effectively, covering installation, basic navigation, and advanced features like web browsing, document reading, application accessibility, and accessibility testing. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, this tutorial will help you maximize NVDA’s capabilities for seamless digital access.

Why Choose NVDA for Accessibility Testing?

NVDA is widely used by many visually impaired users due to its reliability, accessibility, and powerful features. As one of the most popular screen readers, it plays a crucial role in accessibility testing, ensuring that websites and applications are compatible with real-world usage.

As part of the testing process, NVDA is utilized to evaluate accessibility and verify compliance with WCAG and other accessibility standards. Its features make it an essential tool for testers in identifying and addressing accessibility barriers.

• Free & Open-Source – Available at no cost, making it accessible to everyone.
• Multi-Language Support – Supports various languages and voice options for diverse users.
• Braille Compatibility – Works with external braille displays, expanding accessibility.
• Keyboard Navigation – Enables seamless interaction using hotkeys, crucial for users relying on keyboard controls.
• Website & App Testing – Helps validate accessibility compliance and usability.
• Continuous Updates – Regular improvements enhance performance and functionality.
• Lightweight & Fast – Runs efficiently on low-end devices, making it widely accessible.

Since many disabled users depend on NVDA, it should be included in accessibility testing, along with other screen readers like JAWS, VoiceOver, and Narrator. Its use ensures that digital products are accessible, user-friendly, and inclusive for all.

How to Install NVDA (Step-by-Step):

1. Download NVDA

• Go to the official NVDA website: NVDA Website.
• Click on the Download Link.
• Scroll down and click on Download button.

2. Open the Installer: Locate the downloaded .exe file in your downloads folder.

3. Confirm Installation: Click “Yes” in the pop-up dialog box that appears.

4. Choose Installation Options: Select your preferred installation options (such as installing for all users or just for yourself).

5. Start Installation: Click Install to begin the process.

6. Complete Installation: Once the installation is complete, click Finish.You may be given an option to launch NVDA immediately.

7. Restart : your computer if prompted to ensure smooth functionality.

How to Perform NVDA Testing

1. Check the Navigation

• Check if all interactive elements (buttons, links, forms) receive focus.
• Ensure the focus moves in a logical order and does not jump randomly.

2. Verify Headings Structure

• Ensure headings are labeled correctly (H1, H2, H3, etc.).
• Use the H key to navigate through headings efficiently.

3. Test Readability & Content Order

• Use the Down Arrow key to check if content is read in a logical sequence.
• Navigate backward using the Up Arrow key to ensure text flows naturally.

4. Check Alt Text for Images

• Ensure all images have meaningful alt text that describes their content.
• NVDA should correctly announce the image descriptions.

5. Validate Forms

• Ensure form fields have appropriate labels.
• Check that NVDA reads out each form element correctly.
• Test checkboxes, radio buttons, and combo boxes for accessibility.

6. Verify Links & Buttons

• Replace generic text like “Click Here” with descriptive links (e.g., “Download Guide”).
• Ensure buttons are labeled clearly and announced properly by NVDA.

7. Test Multimedia Accessibility

• Ensure videos include captions or transcripts for better accessibility.
• Avoid auto-playing videos without user control.
• Provide alternative text for non-text content such as charts or infographics.

Basic NVDA Commands:

Navigation Commands:

Table Navigation:

Text Reading:

Form Navigation:

Avoid Visual Reliance with NVDA

• Bold or color changes should not be the only way to highlight important text. Use HTML tags like ‘strong’ or ’em’.
• CAPTCHAs should have audio alternatives for visually impaired users.
• Ensure hover effects or animations are accessible and not essential for navigation.

Troubleshooting Common NVDA Issues

When using NVDA for accessibility testing or daily tasks, some common issues may arise. Below are frequent problems and their solutions:

NVDA is not starting

• Restart the system and check for conflicting applications.
• If the issue persists, reinstall NVDA.

No speech output

• Ensure the volume is turned up.
• Check NVDA settings and select the correct speech synthesizer.

Text is being read incorrectly

• Verify that the website or application has proper ARIA labels and semantic HTML.
• Test with another screen reader to confirm the issue.

Keyboard shortcuts are not working

• Ensure NVDA is not in sleep mode.
• Restart NVDA and check shortcut settings.

Dynamic content is not being read

• Enable “Live Regions” in NVDA settings.
• Refresh the page manually if necessary.

Performance is slow or laggy

• Close unnecessary background applications.
• Adjust NVDA settings for better performance and restart the system.

By troubleshooting these issues effectively, NVDA can be used efficiently in accessibility testing, ensuring a seamless experience for users who rely on screen readers.

Conclusion

NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a highly effective screen reader that empowers visually impaired users to navigate and interact with digital content effortlessly. With its text-to-speech conversion, Braille display support, and customizable keyboard shortcuts, NVDA enhances accessibility across various applications, including web browsing, document editing, and software operations. Its continuous updates and broad compatibility make it a reliable solution for both individuals and organizations seeking to create inclusive digital experiences. At Codoid, we recognize the importance of accessibility in modern software development. Our accessibility testing services ensure that digital platforms comply with accessibility standards such as WCAG and Section 508, making them user-friendly for individuals with disabilities. By leveraging tools like NVDA, we help businesses enhance their software’s usability, ensuring equal access for all users.

Frequently Asked Questions