WebAIM WAVE Toolbar

There are many tools available for checking the accessibility of web sites. IRT suggests using the WebAIM WAVE Toolbar for Firefox:

  • It’s easy to install and use. Other accessibility checkers require you to go to their website and paste in the URL of the site you want to check, upload files, or even code. Often the reports are hard to understand, especially if you don’t have a background in HTML, CSS, and javascript. The WAVE toolbar installs easily in the Firefox browser.
  • It accommodates both experienced and beginning users. The WAVE toolbar allows experienced users to thoroughly evaluate accessibility concerns such as order of content, markup, and proper use of CSS. Beginning users can also easily understand what is working and what needs to be fixed.
  • It educates. Through its association with WebAIM, the leading resource for information on web accessibility, the WAVE toolbar provides links to extensive information on creating and maintaining an accessible web presence.
  • It's free! The WAVE toolbar is a free service provided by WebAIM.

How It Works

Once installed, simply open Firefox and go the web page you want to evaluate. Clicking the "Errors, Features, and Alerts" button in the toolbar runs an accessibility evaluation and displays the results in the page itself. Through a system of icons and markers and a one-line summary at the top of the page, you can quickly see if there are any major accessibility problems.

Using the Toolbar

The WAVE toolbar is comprised of a series of buttons that help you fully evalute a web page's accessibility.

A Necessary Caveat

If no errors have been found after an evalutation, you will receive a message stating, "WAVE has detected no accessibility errors, but you must still check your page to ensure it is acutally accessible."

In other words, simply evaluating a web page with any web accessibility checker does not guarantee that the page is accessible. A human being should also give it a careful review!

Resources