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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Effective accessibility testing combines automated checks, expert human review, assistive-technology testing, and usability testing with disabled people. No single scan can establish that a product is accessible. Start early, repeat testing as the product changes, and use a defined evaluation method when assessing conformance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
What accessibility testing can—and cannot—tell you
Accessibility testing asks two related but different questions: whether a product meets applicable accessibility requirements, and whether people with disabilities can use it to accomplish real tasks. WCAG 2 success criteria are testable, but evaluating them involves both automated checks and human judgment. Passing applicable criteria does not guarantee that every person can use a site or app effectively.
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W3C puts the limit of automation plainly: “Web accessibility evaluation tools can not determine accessibility, they can only assist in doing so.” A tool can flag likely issues, help locate problems, and make repeated checks more practical. It cannot assess every accessibility aspect, and its findings may be false positives or misleading. Treat results as evidence to investigate—not as proof of conformance.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchUsability testing answers a different question from a criteria review. Include people with disabilities in usability tests and observe whether they can complete the tasks the product is meant to support. W3C recommends their inclusion in usability test groups.
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How to test a website or app throughout development
Begin during planning and design, not just before launch. W3C recommends evaluating early and throughout development, when teams can address issues before they become harder to change. Make testing recurring: repeat relevant checks as content, interface components, features, or platforms change.
- Define the boundary and target. Identify the product, technologies, intended users, applicable WCAG version, and target conformance level. Note whether the review covers a website, mobile app, desktop product, documents, or a combination.
- Inventory the product. List key views, content types, and important functionality, including critical journeys and areas that require authentication. Decide what environments and assistive technologies are relevant to the product and its users.
- Select a representative sample when needed. If it is not practical to inspect every view, use a documented sampling approach. Include different page or screen types, content, and functionality rather than choosing only simple or visually similar views. State how the sample was selected and what was left out; sampled results do not establish that unexamined areas pass.
- Run automated checks where they fit. Use checks during development and in continuous integration when useful. Review each finding in context, confirm whether it is an issue, and look for gaps automation cannot detect.
- Conduct manual evaluation. Have evaluators with relevant knowledge assess criteria that require interpretation. Review keyboard operation, semantics, content, and interaction paths, using relevant assistive technologies. W3C’s WCAG-EM guidance says evaluators should understand accessibility standards, accessible design, assistive technologies, and how disabled people use digital products.
- Test real tasks with disabled participants. Ask participants to attempt intended tasks and pay attention to barriers, workarounds, and points of failure. This evaluates practical usability, not merely whether the sampled success criteria pass.
- Record findings, fix issues, and retest. Document the scope, method, environments, sample, findings, and limitations. After remediation, repeat the relevant checks and update the report so readers can understand what was and was not evaluated.
How to choose accessibility evaluation tools
Choose tools for the job and the team’s workflow, not for a headline score. W3C notes that organizations may combine tools; the right fit depends on factors including the organization, content complexity, and team skills. Compare options on the following points:
- Method: Does the tool automate checks, guide a human evaluator, support manual review, or simulate a condition? Simulation is not a substitute for testing with disabled people.
- Product and content: Does it support the type of product and material you need to evaluate, such as a website, mobile app, desktop product, or document?
- Standards and criteria: Which standards and specific criteria does it address, and what does it leave to human review?
- Coverage: Does it inspect a single page or screen, a broader product, and authenticated areas? Confirm what must be configured or supplied.
- Workflow: Does it fit the team’s development process and integrations? Consider supported operating systems, browsers, and languages.
- Reporting: Can the team understand, assign, track, and retest findings? A score alone may not explain the issue or its scope.
- Tool accessibility and practical constraints: Is the evaluation tool itself accessible to the people who need to use it? Check licensing and cost, and whether its demands match available skills.
W3C maintains a provider-submitted Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools List. W3C explicitly does not endorse the listed products, so inclusion in the directory should not be read as a recommendation or a guarantee of capability.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesUse WCAG-EM for a formal evaluation
For a structured conformance review, use the W3C Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM). Its five steps are to define the evaluation scope, explore the product, select a representative sample, evaluate that sample, and report the findings. The method helps make the review and its boundaries explicit; it does not turn a sample into proof about areas that were not examined.
WCAG-EM 2.0, published by W3C as a Group Note on 23 July 2026, expands the method’s scope beyond websites to apps and other digital products. The prior version focused on websites and pages. See the WCAG-EM overview for the method and scope.
When writing up a review, identify the target, sample, evaluation approach, environments, results, and exclusions. The W3C WCAG-EM Report Tool can help structure a report from findings you provide; it does not perform the accessibility checks.
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Make results more consistent with ACT rules
Accessibility Conformance Testing (ACT) rules describe test procedures for automated, semi-automated, and manual evaluation. They help evaluators and tool or methodology developers apply interpretations more consistently. W3C reports that ACT Rules Format 1.1 was published in February 2026. ACT is principally intended for developers of evaluation tools and methodologies, though individual rules can help evaluators handle edge cases consistently. Read the W3C ACT overview.
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What a useful accessibility report includes
A report should let someone understand the evidence and its limits, rather than presenting a score without context. Include:
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- Product boundary, target WCAG version and conformance level, and evaluation date.
- Views, content types, features, and authenticated areas covered, plus the sampling method and exclusions.
- Tools, manual methods, environments, browsers, platforms, and assistive technologies used.
- Findings with enough detail to locate and reproduce them, their impact, and the status of remediation and retesting.
- Limitations, including what could not be evaluated and which conclusions apply only to the sample.
For ongoing guidance on when and how to evaluate, consult W3C’s Evaluating Web Accessibility overview. For practical considerations when selecting tools, see Selecting Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools. For the distinction between WCAG conformance and usability, see Understanding Conformance.
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