Accessibility Checkers
Accessibility checkers are automated tools that can help us identify if content is accessible.
WAVE
The Wave Tool by Webaim Links to an external site. checks accessibility of web pages. You can also download a free extension for Chrome and Firefox. Learn more about how to use the WAVE tool Links to an external site. on the Webaim site. The WAVE tool can be used to check almost all online textbooks.
Introduction to WAVE
Links to an external site.
The image below shows a sample result from a Wave check. Notes:
- The blue circles indicate that headings are present.
- The orange box with the letter “h” is an alert that there is a skipped heading level; the headings skip from H2 to H4.
- One of the headings is missing the heading icon. This text looks like a heading but was made by changing the font rather than using styles. Screen readers will not recognize that text as a heading.
- The list is not identified with a blue list icon. Therefore, it was not built correctly.
- Red boxes indicate errors. In this case, the marked text has very low contrast.
- Green indicates things that are done well. For example, alt text is present for the image. However, the orange photo icon indicates an alert that this alt text may not be accurate. In this case, the alt text is a file name rather than a meaningful description of the image.
Microsoft and Adobe
Microsoft products (including Word and Ppt) have built in accessibility Checkers. Adobe Acrobat also has a built-in accessibility checker. You can learn more about these in the Self-Paced Courses from @ONE Links to an external site.. These cheat-sheets from NCDAE Links to an external site. provide a good overview of how to build accessible content.
ASCCC OERI Webinars
Determining Whether or Not an Online Resource is Accessible: Links to an external site. This webinar will discuss strategies to help you identify if a resource is accessible. It will include a discussion of basic things to look for as well as online accessibility checker tools. This webinar is designed for OER Liaisons, but is open to all.