Introduction

Automated testing alone does not fully determine whether or not web content is accessible. Therefore, it is important to perform a manual assessment of your web content.

We have developed a set of testing standards to help you carry out manual evaluations of your web content. The tests are based on the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA, the standard NYU has adopted.

Note: The testing protocol does not provide recommendations to fix accessibility issues; it is intended for testing purposes only.

About the Tests

The tests we've complied have been written for people who don't have an in-depth knowledge of web accessibility. They are intended to help you find some of the most significant accessibility issues that people with disabilities may experience when using the website being tested. However, be aware that they are not a complete set of accessibility tests, so performing them all doesn't automatically mean you will find every possible accessibility problem present. Some complex or less commonly found accessibility issues are not covered in these tests.

Testing Requirements

You can carry out all tests in a web browser, using a standard keyboard and some basic accessibility testing tools. No prior knowledge of accessibility is required, and only a basic understanding of HTML is needed. An understanding of JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is not required, but may be helpful for some tests.

Testing tools should be installed before you proceed with the protocol. Visit our Testing Tools page for these resources.

How to Test

Please review the information in our How to Test Your Content section.