Web accessibility/Links/WACC201/Announcement3

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Assistive Technology and User Testing
Last week you were introduced to a variety of automated testing tools, and a variety of manual strategies you can use to identify accessibility issues in web content. Though automated tools and manual tests are a good start for identifying potential barriers in web content, you will also generally want to test content with assistive technologies, and more specifically with a screen reader.

This week you'll be introduced to a few more screen readers, with some more time spent using ChromeVox, in this case to navigate through some WAI-ARIA enabled content to better understand how it makes web interactivity accessible. We hope to hear about your experiences using ChromeVox with WAI-ARIA in the Using ChromeVox to Find Accessibility Features activity.

This week also introduces user testing as an added feature of an accessibility audit. Though user testing is not always a requirement when conducting web accessibility audits, having people test the content can help identify usability issues that may not be obvious through typical accessibility testing. When you do include user testing it is important to understand some of the limitations, including users’ expertise with their assistive technology, and their level of comfort with web technologies. In Finding User Testers activity, you’ll have an opportunity to identify sources where user testers can be recruited in your local area, and see sources in other parts of the world.

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