There are a number of evaluation tools available which can be used to determine whether or not web content meets a variety of needs; however, the reports produced by some of these tools can be difficult to interpret. Choosing a tool appropriate to your skill set and technology comfort level is recommended. Also, determining which tool(s) to use is dependent on the tools that may already be available at an institution; thus, it is recommended that users first connect with the appropriate offices/staff at their institution before selecting an evaluation tool.
One important item to note when evaluating a site for accessibility and compliance is automated evaluation tools can never replace human testing; for example, an accessibility evaluation tool might not flag issues such as visual or sensory details included in instructions and sensory dependent activities. In addition, using only one tool to evaluate web content is not recommended since various tools check for only specific accessibility issues.
The most common web evaluation tool is WAVE, which is the Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool provided by WebAIM. The steps for using WAVE to evaluate a website for accessibility are as follows:
- Go to wave.webaim.org.
- Copy the URL of the website that requires evaluating.
- Paste the URL into the WAVE Web Page Address field.
- Click Enter.
- The accessibility report will appear as an overlay to the evaluated website.
The WAVE tool uses icons to indicate accessibility errors on the page. This can be confusing for those not familiar with the tool. It is recommended that beginner users review the WAVE Help page and the WebAIM guide to Accessibility Evaluation Tools before using WAVE to evaluate a website.
For information on other available tools for evaluating the accessibility of web content, W3C provides a Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools List. This list has filters which allow users to find a tool that meets their needs.