Automated tools should never replace human testing, but using automated tools throughout development, alongside human testers and some expert accessibility knowledge, can provide a great time saving solution for basic accessibility checks.
Below is a broad selection of 5 useful online tools for assisting in the creation of an accessible website.
1) Validators
W3C Markup Validation Service
W3C CSS Validation Service
One simple way of creating a quality site is validating your markup and CSS. Validating will not check for accessibility issues, instead validating checks for errors in your code will provide a brief (if sometimes confusing) description of how to fix them. If all of your code validates, there is a good chance it will look the way you expect it to in multiple browsers and platforms.
2) Accessiblity Evaluation Tool
WAVE is a really handy accessibility checker which displays your page graphically with different coloured icons which represent errors or potential problems. Accessibility features are also represented as icons, which gives the user a quick way of checking those features for accuracy – for example, WAVE will expose alt text and recommends that the user ensures "the alt text conveys equivalent content, is accurate, and is succinct". You can also download the WAVE Toolbar which makes it even easier to check for accessibility as you build.
3) Colour blind Vision Simulator
Vischeck is a way of showing you what your webpage looks like to someone who is colour blind, and considering roughly 1 in 20 people have some sort of colour vision deficiency, it's an extremely useful tool. You can run images and webpages through the colour blind vision simulator to make sure you haven't used separate colours which look the same to somebody with a colour vision deficiency, which is especially useful for making sure your links stand out on your page.
4) Text Browser Simulator
Lynx Viewer allows you to see what your webpages will look like when viewed using Lynx, a text only web browser. Ensuring your site is site usable and understandable in a text only mode is a good check for basic accessibility. It is also a good way of checking that your alt text is useful.
5) Project Managing Tool
Accessiblity Wizard isn't an automated tool like the others, rather it's a tool to assist in the project management of an accessible website. It allows you to choose the WAI conformance level (either A, AA or AAA) and breaks down the WAI checkpoints into individual tasks for each job role in your development team. It's an excellent way of allowing project managers, or anybody who might not be an expert in accessibility, to clearly see what work needs to be carried out in order to create an accessible site.
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