Using Empathy To Guide An Exploratory Accessibility Testing Session

I do not have any accessibility needs when it comes to using computers. However, for about 2 years, I was at one point reliant on a wheelchair or crutches to travel. This helped me develop an appreciation of how the smallest thing could impact someones quality of life. 

Accessibility testing is often an afterthought. This is not surprising as, unless someone has first hand experience of a disability, they will not be able to fully understand what design issues could limit someones ability to use a website. 

Before accessibility testing, we should first at least try to understand the various accessibility needs a user might have. We should then attempt to use the application the way a user might use it, such as using screen readers or checking the contract settings on a website. Most of the tools a user might use are freely available in chrome extensions. 

In this session, I will demonstrate the various tools available that can be used to support accessibility testing. As well as this, we will also analyse the tools that a user might use to access a website. Using these tools, we will carry out a live exploratory accessibility testing session so that we can understand the challenges a user might face and use this to identify accessibility issues.