Introduction
Accessibility testing can feel intimidating at first. Between WCAG guidelines, assistive technologies, and tooling, it’s easy to think you need to be an expert before you can meaningfully contribute. After watching and reading Basic Accessibility Testing by Glen Walker (via Equalize Digital), one thing became very clear: you don’t need to know everything to start making a real impact.
Takeaways
How to think about accessibility testing in day-to-day frontend work:
Start Small — Basic Testing Goes a Long Way
One of the most reassuring messages from my learning is that basic accessibility testing catches a large percentage of real user issues. Even though WCAG 2.1 AA includes many success criteria, you can uncover meaningful problems by focusing on a few core areas:
- Keyboard navigation
- Page structure and semantics
- Color contrast
- Images and alternative text
This reframing helps remove the “all or nothing” mindset. Accessibility progress is incremental — and that’s okay.
Keyboard Testing Is a Powerful First Step
Using just the Tab key, you can immediately spot accessibility issues:
- Can every interactive element be reached?
- Is the focus order logical and predictable?
- Are there keyboard traps or mouse-only interactions?
This is especially important for users who rely entirely on keyboard navigation, including screen reader users and people with motor disabilities. Keyboard testing is simple, fast, and incredibly high-value.
Screen Readers Reveal What Visual Testing Can’t
Listening to a page using a screen reader changes how you understand your UI. Glen demonstrates how tools like NVDA, JAWS, or VoiceOver expose issues such as:
- Missing or incorrect labels
- Poorly structured headings
- Controls that look fine visually but make no sense audibly
Even basic familiarity with a screen reader can dramatically improve how accessible your interfaces are.
Make Focus Visible (Really Visible)
A practical tip I loved: add a strong, custom focus outline during testing.
This helps uncover:
- Missing focus states
- Hidden or unintended focusable elements
- Interactive components that don’t clearly communicate state or purpose
It’s a small change that makes keyboard issues impossible to ignore.
Semantic Structure Matters More Than Styling
Headings, lists, and tables should communicate structure — not just appearance. Styling text to look like a heading without using semantic HTML breaks screen reader navigation and page comprehension.
This reinforced an important reminder: accessibility is deeply tied to frontend architecture, not just visual design.
Color Contrast Is Foundational, Not Optional
Low contrast affects far more users than we often realize, including people with low vision or temporary impairments. While automated tools help, Glen highlights that:
- CSS inspection is sometimes necessary
- Responsive states and hover/focus styles can introduce new contrast issues
- Contrast needs to be checked intentionally, not assumed.
Responsive Design Can Introduce New Accessibility Issues
Accessibility testing shouldn’t stop at desktop. Responsive layouts often change:
- Navigation behavior
- Focus order
- Touch target size and spacing
Testing across breakpoints is essential to ensure accessibility doesn’t regress on mobile or tablet views.
Automated Tools Are Helpful — but Incomplete
Tools like axe or WAVE are useful for catching obvious issues, but they only surface a fraction of real accessibility problems.
Manual testing — especially with keyboard and screen readers — is where the majority of meaningful issues are found. Automation should support human testing, not replace it.
ARIA Should Be Used Carefully
One key caution: ARIA can do more harm than good when misused. Incorrect roles or attributes often make experiences worse, not better.
This reinforced the principle:
Use native HTML first. Add ARIA only when necessary — and only when you fully understand the impact.
Progress Over Perfection
Perhaps the most important takeaway: don’t wait for perfect accessibility knowledge to start testing.
Every improvement — better focus order, clearer labels, stronger contrast — makes a product more inclusive. Accessibility is a journey, and meaningful progress matters far more than completeness.
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