Starting with tools like Lighthouse or the aXe Firefox and Chrome extensions are great ways to start testing and gaining knowledge about what issues your site is experiencing, and ways to fix them. When getting started with screen reader testing, you'll need a list of keyboard shortcuts and gestures . Keeping these close at hand will help you learn and get used to navigating your app. It'll take some time to ramp up, and you won't become accessible in a day. Be kind to yourself and your team, and keep at it. Every fix helps.

The same way we got buy-in for test suites! Accessibility isn't a feature. It is the feature. Testing prevents bugs. Accessibility testing is no different. It prevents bugs. If someone was unable to get through the purchase process, you'd be hot-fixing that so fast that heads would spin. Why is it different when someone with a disability can't get through the purchase process? #a11y issues are not optional features. They are bugs. For designers, and developers, make it easier to do the right thing than to do the wrong thing. Implementing linters, and CI testing can be the first step. Developers fix lint errors, and test suites all the time. Tests associated with accessibility should be no different. There are business people that need an ROI to support accessibility. More users! 1 in 5 people have some sort of disability (World Health Organization) 1 in 10 websites are accessible (deque) If your website is accessible, you could be cornering the market for those with disabilities! More clients! Many governments require accessibility certification of not only government websites, but also companies working on government land, or contracting with the government. Being accessible opens your business up to government entities Lawsuits are expensive The Dominos lawsuit in 2019 set a precedent, at least in the USA, that websites, even without government contracts, need to be accessible. People can sue your company! The smaller the company, the higher the risk of going bankrupt over an accessibility issue that could have been prevented. https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/100719zor_m648.pdf Personal experience We have an emotional response when we can relate accessibility with someone we know. Make it personal. As 1 in 8 men are colorblind, chances are, there is a man in your company that is colorblind. Take that person to your boss and say, "Can you explain to {name of person}, who works for our company, why he doesn't matter enough to make our site accessible?"

WAI-Aria has a pretty detailed walkthrough of what is needed for Making Audio and Video Media Accessible . The gist is that for each type of media, you should have a backup for those that can not use that media. For instance, those with hearing impairments can't hear a podcast or listen to a video. Transcripts and subtitles help bridge that gap. For images, and videos (or parts of videos) with no dialogue, alt tags, titles, and descriptions of the visuals and their context to your content, are all ways to keep the media inclusive. Screen readers play the role of reading the descriptions out loud to those that either can not read, or can not see, but only if the content is available to the screen readers to read.

Navigating an app is not limited to the tab key. Each screen reader and assistive tech has a set of keyboard shortcuts and gestures for accessing the details you need. The tab key navigates through clickable elements, but isn't appropriate for headers, for example. The most important part of handling screen readers, clickable interactivity, and context, is managing your focus. It is important to understand how your clickable elements are moving a user out of the flow of the content, and where you should return them when they are finished with that section.

Designers and developers are the two disciplines that are bringing the product into being and therefore shoulder the burden of being the de facto advocates, but accessibility is everyone's job. From the first idea of a product to the end-user who runs into an issue, we should all be mindful of how our products impact others, particularly those under stress. It takes leadership buy-in, manual testing from all the disciplines, and the willingness of ourselves to advocate for a more user-friendly experience. One of the easiest ways to see this is to have a diverse and inclusive company that brings those other perspectives to the forefront. If that isn't currently the case in your company, creating personas with various limitations can be helpful. Try to see the product through the experience of someone else, and help others understand that impact.

I second Segun Ola . Automated testing can tell you that your code is technically capable of being accessible, but can't tell you if the funnel from the homepage to purchased product is too difficult to understand, or if the content is confusing. Even some technical issues are missed like color contrast over a gradient. One of my favorite accessibility articles is "Building the Most Inaccessible Site Possible with Perfect Lighthouse Score" by Manuel Matuzovic. It perfectly demonstrates how automated testing can only get you so far. Unless you open up the webpage and try it for yourself, you will never know if your site is actually accessible.