What is involved with an accessibility audit? (Part 5)
Putting it all together
Now I have my raw materials. The automated matrices, the manual checks, 3 live audits and a whole bunch of notes! This is when I have to put it all together and turn it into a full audit. The most time-consuming part, of course, is reviewing the videos and editing them. I only take out content that is not relevant to the audit itself, otherwise, everything goes there.
Cataloguing the key highlights
I do not expect everyone to watch all 3 videos in full, as the final versions can be anything from 60 to 120 minutes long. I create a timeline on a spreadsheet, to allow them to jump to specific issues encountered. Sometimes these issues could be predicted, as the website might have failed an automated assessment or I have encountered something myself already. What often happens, however, is that there will be an issue that may fall outside the WCAG Guidelines but still be a major accessibility problem for one or more of my team.
Next steps
Once the videos and timelines are finalised, my audit is nearer to completion, however, the most important part is to look at the next steps. I think a lot of businesses avoid having an accessibility audit because they are nervous about what may be found and how expensive it will be to resolve.
It does not have to be expensive! The most important thing to understand about website accessibility is that it is not about having a perfect website that can meet the needs of everyone as it is, as long as there is a practical alternative available.
In the physical world, I illustrate this by saying that you do not replace stairs with a ramp, you have both instead. The same applies to a website and usually, I can come up with a creative way of resolving the issues.
Sometimes the solution is already there
I remember one recent audit when I made a suggestion about an alternative approach that turned out to be one they already had available to them. They had just not considered it in terms of accessibility before. That is always a great win because I have not yet anyone who does not want to make their website more accessible, they just do not think they can!
Even if there is no easy solution, the agency, once they know the problem, will not make that mistake again and this is why I love what I do! This is how I change the world, one website at a time.
Would you like to find out more about this?
If you would like to see my TEDxTalk on website accessibility, please follow this link:
https://accessbydesign.uk/my-tedx-talk-on-website-accessibility-for-disabled-people-is-now-online/
If you would like to find out more about website accessibility, why now view our website dedicated specifically to the subject? Please follow this link to visit it:
https://accessibilityaudit.co.uk/
If you are interested in a free initial review of the accessibility of your website, why not book yourself a consultation? Please follow this link to do so:
https://calendly.com/cliveloseby/accessibility-audit-free-initial-consultation
Clive Loseby
Access by Design. Accessible Websites, Beautifully Designed.
Outstanding Website Accessibility Audits
Award-winning web design, Chichester.
