What is a web accessibility audit?
A web accessibility audit involves a rigorous testing process of a website to evaluate its degree/level of accessibility. It involves:
- Manual technical evaluation of the website
- Testing the website with a variety of automated tools
- User accessibility testing - carried out by our team, all of whom have disabilities and all of whom have experienced first-hand the barriers an inaccessible website places between them and independence.
The audit identifies specific pain points or barriers to web or digital accessibility by providing a comprehensive and detailed report of actionable steps required to move toward compliance.
Where does a web accessibility audit fit on the path to web accessibility compliance?
A web accessibility audit is the first step on the journey to web accessibility compliance. The technical evaluation provides a snap-shot of an organisation’s degree of compliance or non-compliance with the global standard in web accessibility, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. It provides:
- The WCAG checkpoint to which the issue relates
- Screenshots of problems encountered
- Comments from our testers
- Comments from our technical auditors
- Our recommendations on how to remediate the issue
Why do I need a web accessibility audit?
There are four good reasons you need a web accessibility audit.
- Social: Because organisations are moving their products, support and services online, these organisations have an obligation to ensure that all of their customers-including the one in five Australians who have a disability-are able to access these online.
- Technical: Accessible websites are cleaner, more cost-effective websites. Code is easier to change and update, making it easier to manage your own content while achieving accessibility.
- Financial: Having an accessible website means that you gain the ability to target your products and services to a large and under-served market: the one in five Australians with a disability
- Legal: Accessible websites are required by law (Disability & Discrimination Act 1992). For government organisations, accessible websites are required under the National Transition Strategy.
Why is a web accessibility audit useful?
With a full understanding of your whether your organisation’s websites or mobile device apps are inaccessible you can confidently and effectively move to a state of accessibility compliance. It is that simple. If you wish to create an organisational culture or behaviour which includes accessibility at the centre of everything it does, and puts in place checks and processes to ensure accessibility is embedded in the organisation, an audit is the place to start.
What should I look for in a web accessibility audit?
A web accessibility audit will provide your organisation with clear, actionable steps to make real changes to the way that people with disabilities can interact with your website or mobile applications. An audit will at the minimum provide you with ‘quick wins’ to make a substantial impact on web accessibility. A high-quality audit includes an executive summary highlighting issues for managers, a comprehensive report of technology issues, and action plan for implementing recommendations.
Why should I use Media Access Australia?
Credibility and expertise: Media Access Australia is Australia’s only independent not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving media and web accessibility for people with disabilities. As a member of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), staff regularly present at national and global accessibility conferences, and it has partnered with the University of South Australia for the country’s first university-accredited accessibility training course, the Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility (PCWA).
Tailored services: Media Access Australia’s web accessibility audit service is tailored to your specific organisation. The service assesses accessibility pain points, barriers and obstacles related to your industry, customers, suppliers and staff and makes clear recommendations on accessibility issues discovered through the audit process.
What next?
For more information, you can contact us via our online form or call our office on 02 9212 6242.
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