Accessibility Audit
A comprehensive evaluation of a website or application against accessibility standards to ensure usability for people with disabilities.
Definition
An accessibility audit is a systematic review of a digital product against established accessibility standards, primarily the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The audit evaluates whether content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for users with various disabilities including visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments.
Audits combine automated scanning tools that catch programmatic issues like missing alt text and insufficient color contrast with manual testing by accessibility experts who evaluate keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and cognitive accessibility using assistive technologies.
Why It Matters
Over one billion people worldwide live with some form of disability, representing a massive audience segment that inaccessible websites exclude. Beyond the moral imperative, accessibility is increasingly a legal requirement, with ADA lawsuits against websites growing year over year.
Accessible design also benefits all users through better mobile experiences, clearer content structure, and improved SEO. Search engines and screen readers both benefit from well-structured, semantically rich HTML.
Examples in Practice
An e-commerce company's accessibility audit reveals that their checkout form lacks proper labels, making it impossible for screen reader users to complete purchases. Fixing these issues increases conversions from assistive technology users by 340%.
A media company conducts a WCAG 2.1 AA audit before launching their redesigned website, identifying forty-seven issues ranging from insufficient color contrast on body text to videos missing closed captions, all resolved before the public launch.