Zanet Web Design - How to design an accessible site

Below are some excellent tools we have used in making sites accessible:

WebXact http://Webxact.watchfire.com/
Wave 3.5 http://www.wave.Webaim.org/wave35/index.jsp
Accessibility Valet Demonstrator http://valet.webthing.com/access/url.html
Torquemada http://www.Webxtutti.it/testa_en.htm

The Wave accessibility tool is a great place to start - http://www.wave.webaim.org/. The Wave provides useful information about accessibility features and errors within your page. It is designed to facilitate the design process by adding icons to a version of your page. The icons represent structural, content, usability, or accessibility feature or problems within your content. You can easily see the exact location within your page where an error is present.

You become the user
It is a great idea to have a copy of a screen reader available for testing. I suggest IBM HomePage Reader because it is easy to use and learn, whereas other full-featured screen readers are more expensive and have a very steep learning curve. First listen to the entire page without stopping. Did everything make sense? Did the screen reader access all of the content? Was the alternative text for images appropriate and equivalent enough to convey the content and meaning of the image? Was the reading order of the content logical?

Now try navigating the page with the screen reader. Are link labels descriptive? Were forms accessible via the keyboard? Were form labels included? If the page includes data tables, were data cells associated with headers? Did the navigation structure make sense? Was there an option to navigate within lengthy pages of content? Was content structure, such as headings and lists, correctly implemented? Was any multimedia accessible (i.e., did video have captions, audio have transcripts, Flash have an alternative, etc.)?

Another area to check is keyboard accessibility. Just access the page and make sure that you can navigate through the entire Web page using the tab key. Ensure that every link and form item is accessible and that all forms can be filled out and submitted via the keyboard. If any content is displayed based upon mouse actions, make sure the content is also available using the keyboard.

Sometimes features of the site that you believed would increase accessibility end up being very confusing or inaccessible. Be willing to make changes based on user testing. Especially seek feedback on your navigation structure and use of language. These two things can pose huge accessibility barriers to a large group of individuals. As soon as their recommendations for changes have been made, have them test again and see if things are better. Encourage feedback from all of your site visitors.