Web accessibility auditing

There is increasing awareness of the social, economic and legislative need to make online information, goods and services accessible to people with disabilities. To know how to improve the accessibility of a website you must establish its current level of accessibility a web accessibility audit measures the accessibility level of your website against accessibility standards. It should lead to a list of actions to make your site more accessible to all users.

How to use this resource

This guidance aims to:

  • Inform you about good practice in web accessibility auditing;
  • Demystify the auditing process;
  • Assist you in commissioning an accessibility audit;
  • Help you to identify the actions that need to be taken to improve non-accessible elements of the site;
  • Provide guidance on how to get the most out of the auditing process.

Who is this guidance for?

This guidance is intended for managers who are responsible for the development and maintenance of websites. Typically, these managers will work in communications, it departments, corporate affairs, change management or customer services. Such managers may already have websites and need to check and improve their accessibility. Some sections of this guidance may also be useful to managers preparing to develop or redevelop websites.

If you are such a manager, this guidance will help you to:

  • Understand web accessibility;
  • Make a decision on whether to audit your site or sites;
  • Get maximum value and benefit from a web accessibility audit.

The guidance may also be of value to:

  • Information technology managers or webmasters (alongside more technically detailed material on accessibility);
  • Information officers;
  • Potential suppliers of auditing services or tools;
  • Anyone interested in accessibility.