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Design System
In Review

Accessibility Standard

The government is committed to making its websites accessible in accordance with S.I. 358/2020 and the EU Web Accessibility Directive 2016/2102.

A high level of accessibility is important to ensure everyone can avail of government services and find information regardless of their ability. Government sites strive to achieve, and be compliant with, AA standard under the WCAG 2.1 guidelines.

Government sites are audited and regularly tested by the National Disability Authority (NDA).

The NDA is the independent statutory body that provides information and advice to the government on policy and practice relevant to the lives of people with disabilities.

Accessibility tools

Axe Dev Tools is a suite of accessibility testing tools designed to help developers and testers identify and fix accessibility issues on websites and web applications. Developed by Deque Systems, this tool integrates directly into browser developer tools (such as Chrome DevTools), making it easy to run automated accessibility tests during development. Axe Dev Tools provides comprehensive reports on accessibility violations, including details on the nature of the issues, the elements affected, and guidance on how to fix them. It covers a wide range of accessibility standards, including WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), and is widely used for ensuring web content is accessible to people with disabilities.

WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) Report is an accessibility evaluation tool that helps users identify and address issues that affect the accessibility of web content. Developed by WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind), WAVE provides visual feedback by overlaying icons and indicators on a webpage, highlighting areas that require attention. The WAVE tool checks for a variety of accessibility issues, such as missing alternative text, low contrast text, and structural issues. It is available as a browser extension, making it easy to analyze webpages directly within the browser. WAVE also provides detailed explanations and recommendations for fixing identified issues, making it a valuable resource for web developers and accessibility professionals.

NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is a free, open-source screen reader for Windows that enables blind and visually impaired users to interact with their computers. NVDA reads aloud text on the screen using synthetic speech, allowing users to navigate the operating system, browse the web, and use various applications without needing to see the screen. It supports a wide range of languages and comes with features like Braille display support, customizable speech settings, and the ability to read documents, emails, and web pages. NVDA is highly regarded for its robustness, regular updates, and strong community support, making it one of the most popular screen readers available.

Color Contrast Analyser is a tool used to check the color contrast ratio between text and its background, ensuring it meets accessibility standards like WCAG. Adequate contrast between text and background is crucial for readability, especially for users with visual impairments. This tool allows users to sample colors directly from their screen or input color values manually to calculate the contrast ratio. It then compares the calculated ratio against the required standards and provides feedback on whether the contrast is sufficient. The Color Contrast Analyser is particularly useful for designers and developers who need to ensure that their digital content is accessible to all users, including those with color vision deficiencies.

Accessibility Quality assurance (QA)

Quality assurance (QA) in the context of accessibility testing is a critical process that ensures digital products—such as websites, web applications, and mobile apps—are usable by people of all abilities, including those with disabilities. This process is essential for meeting legal requirements, adhering to accessibility standards, and providing an inclusive user experience. Here's an overview of how we apply QA to accessibility testing:

Quality assurance for accessibility is guided by established standards, most notably the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which outline criteria for making content accessible to a wide range of people with disabilities. QA teams need to be familiar with these guidelines, including the different levels of conformance (A, AA, and AAA), which range from basic to more advanced accessibility requirements.

Automated tools are often the first step in accessibility QA testing. These tools can quickly identify common accessibility issues such as missing alt text, improper heading structure, and low color contrast. Tools like Axe Dev Tools, WAVE, and Lighthouse can be integrated into the development workflow to run automated tests on web pages and applications. While automated testing is efficient, it can only catch about 20-30% of accessibility issues, so it's important to use it in conjunction with manual testing.

Manual testing is crucial because many accessibility issues are context-specific and cannot be detected by automated tools. QA testers manually evaluate aspects like keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and the usability of interactive elements (e.g., forms, buttons, and menus). Testers use assistive technologies such as screen readers (like NVDA or JAWS), screen magnifiers, and voice recognition software to simulate the experience of users with disabilities. They also check for issues like focus order, hidden content, and proper labelling of elements.

Involving actual users with disabilities in the testing process can provide valuable insights that might not be apparent through automated or manual testing alone. User testing helps identify real-world usability challenges and ensures that the product is genuinely accessible to its intended audience. This might include testing with screen readers, voice control, or eye-tracking devices.

Once issues are identified, they are documented in detail, often with references to specific WCAG criteria. Reports generated from both automated and manual testing highlight the severity of issues and prioritise them for remediation. QA teams collaborate with developers to ensure that issues are fixed correctly and retested. Detailed documentation and clear communication are essential to ensure that accessibility improvements are properly implemented.

After accessibility issues are fixed, regression testing is conducted to ensure that new updates or changes to the product have not introduced new accessibility problems or reintroduced old ones. Continuous testing throughout the development lifecycle helps maintain a high standard of accessibility.

Accessibility is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process. QA teams should regularly monitor and test products as they evolve, especially when new features are added or major updates are made. This ensures that the product remains accessible over time and continues to meet legal and user requirements.

For QA teams to effectively test for accessibility, they need ongoing training and education on the latest accessibility standards, tools, and best practices. Building a culture of accessibility within the organization, where all team members are aware of its importance, is key to sustaining accessibility in the long term.

Accessibility QA is also about ensuring compliance with legal requirements such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the U.S., the European Accessibility Act (EAA), or other relevant regulations. Non-compliance can result in legal consequences, so QA teams must ensure that accessibility testing is thorough and aligns with these legal frameworks.

Incorporating accessibility considerations from the very beginning of the design and development process—known as "inclusive design"—is more effective and efficient than retrofitting accessibility after the fact. QA plays a vital role in verifying that the product design supports accessibility from the ground up.

In summary, quality assurance in accessibility testing is about ensuring that digital products are not only functional but also usable by people with diverse abilities. It involves a combination of automated tools, manual testing, real-user feedback, and continuous monitoring to meet both legal requirements and the needs of all users.

NVDA recommended tools

Using NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) recommended tools refers to leveraging a suite of tools and techniques that enhance the accessibility testing process, particularly for ensuring compatibility with the NVDA screen reader. NVDA is a free, open-source screen reader for Windows, widely used by people with visual impairments to access digital content. Here’s an overview of the tools and strategies recommended when using NVDA for accessibility testing:

NVDA as a Primary Testing Tool

NVDA is the core tool for testing the accessibility of websites and applications. When using NVDA, testers can:

Navigate the Interface: Testers use NVDA to navigate through web pages and applications using the keyboard, listening to how NVDA announces elements like headings, links, buttons, forms, and other interactive elements.

Test Focus Management: Ensuring that the focus order (the sequence in which elements receive keyboard focus) is logical and intuitive is critical for screen reader users. NVDA helps testers check if the focus moves correctly between elements.

Check for Alternative Text: NVDA reads out alternative text for images and other non-text content, helping testers ensure that meaningful descriptions are provided where necessary.

Assess ARIA Implementation: NVDA supports ARIA roles, states, and properties, which enhance accessibility by providing additional context for complex UI elements. Testers use NVDA to verify if ARIA attributes are used correctly.

Focus Highlight Tool

The Focus Highlight tool is an NVDA add-on that visually indicates which element has focus on the screen. This tool is particularly useful for developers and testers who want to observe how focus moves when interacting with a webpage or application using the keyboard. It helps identify issues with focus order and ensures that the focus is clearly visible and logical.

Speech Viewer

NVDA’s Speech Viewer tool displays in real-time what NVDA is announcing. This is useful for testers who are not familiar with screen readers or who prefer to see a textual representation of what NVDA is saying. It also allows testers to compare what is being announced against what is expected, making it easier to identify discrepancies.

Logging Features

NVDA provides logging features that capture events and outputs during a testing session. These logs can be invaluable for debugging issues or documenting findings during an accessibility audit. Testers can review the logs to understand how NVDA is interpreting and interacting with the content.

NVDA Developer Tools

NVDA Developer Tools is an add-on that provides additional debugging and inspection capabilities for advanced users. It allows testers and developers to inspect the accessibility tree, which represents the structure and properties of UI elements as perceived by screen readers. This tool helps diagnose issues related to how elements are exposed to assistive technologies.

Contrast Checker

Although NVDA does not directly include a contrast checker, it's important to use this tool in conjunction with NVDA to ensure that text and background color combinations meet WCAG contrast requirements. Tools like the Color Contrast Analyser can be used alongside NVDA to check that content is visually accessible as well as screen reader accessible.

ARIA Landmarks and Headings

When testing with NVDA, it’s essential to check how ARIA landmarks and HTML headings are announced. NVDA allows users to navigate by headings and landmarks, so testers should ensure these are used correctly to provide a meaningful and structured navigation experience.

Testing Across Different Browsers

NVDA’s behaviour can vary slightly across different web browsers, so it’s recommended to test content in multiple browsers, such as Firefox (which has particularly strong support for NVDA) and Chrome. This helps ensure that the content is consistently accessible across different environments.

Keyboard Testing

Using NVDA, testers should ensure that all interactive elements are fully operable using only the keyboard. NVDA supports various keyboard commands for navigating and interacting with content, and testers should verify that users can access and use all features without needing a mouse.

Training and Best Practices

Finally, it’s important for testers to be trained not only in using NVDA but also in understanding how people with visual impairments use screen readers in real-world scenarios. Familiarity with common screen reader shortcuts and navigation techniques is crucial for effective testing.

NVDA leveraging capabilities (NDA scans)

NVDA is a powerful screen reader used by individuals with visual impairments to navigate digital content. When testing for accessibility, leveraging NVDA effectively means using its various features to simulate the experience of a screen reader user and identify potential accessibility issues.

Here are our ways we leverage NVDA for accessibility testing: