Free Interactive Guide
Automating Accessibility

How To Test for the 6 Most Common Accessibility Issues on Home Pages

Why should you read this?

You relate to one (or more) of these statements:

• I'm new to accessibility and don't know where to start.
• I have a lot of issues to fix but don't know where to start.
• I want to raise accessibility awareness at my company.
• I'm not new to accessibility but I need a refresher.
• I want to sharpen my digital accessibility skills.
• I'm looking for areas of improvement for future projects.
• I want to better understand how to make my work accessible.
• I don't feel confident in my current accessibility skillset.
• I'm looking for resources I can share with my community.
• I don't know how get to the next level of accessibility.
• I need resources to share with my colleagues.
• I don't know what I'm supposed to learn next.

• I'm trying to DIY as much as possible because...

  • I'm still working on buy-in from decision makers.
  • I have buy-in, but the budget is kind of small.
• I'd rather invest budget in help with harder issues.
• I don't know if I have errors so I don't know if I need help.
• I'm not sure if my tools enable me make my work accessible.
• I need hands-on exercises to practice with REAL examples.

How will this guide help you?

It does not matter...

• Who you are
• What your background is
• When you started
• Where you're at
• Why you're here

The following is always true: Accessibility is a continuum.

It's similar to a repeating cycle, the difference is that it's not linear. What was accessible for one person yesterday, may not be accessible for that same person tomorrow or even next week.

If you've never heard of that until now, the dynamic may feel confusing, intimidating, and overwhelming. If it's always changing, then how will we ever get everything done so we can 100% accommodate every person 100% of the time? We can't! And that's fine.

The truth is: the work is never done.

But! That doesn't mean there is always a long list of things to do. In fact, the earlier you handle this work in your process, the less you have to do later.

Be proactive now so you can react effectively later.

Most accessibility work is proactive. Some of it is reactive, and that's not inherently a problem. Constant reactivity is a problem. It causes excessive stress, hyper-vigilance, and just plain ol' sucks.

Accessibility issues are inevitable. Plan for reactivity. Aim for it to be quick, correct, and seldomly needed. The third one is part of the bigger picture. We'll revisit it in parts two and three. (Yes! There will be more after this guide! 🥰)

As for reacting to accessibility issues quickly and correctly, you won't consistently achieve those goals if you don't know how to find or fix the issues when it's time to react.

Think about your current or previous job. When you first started, were you very fast? Did you have to look stuff up before you could take any action? How much practice did it take for you to feel as confident as you do now?

I'm not suggesting that you need to react quickly and correctly every single time. That's impossible for any area of work! What I'm saying is that there's a... formula of sorts. A playbook. Or a toolbox. Whichever metaphor makes the most sense to you.

Your likelihood of success (reacting quickly and correctly) increases when you have the right ingredients, know your plays, and have the tools that get the job done.

The best way to gather all of those? Incrementally. One step at a time, try something new. See if it works. If it doesn't, adjust and retest. Afraid you'll fail? ME TOO, FRIEND. All the time.

But consider reframing that mindset. Not getting the results you want isn't always failure. We increment because we know sometimes we're gonna get a thing or two wrong. It's a commitment to learning and getting really good at it.

Learning one step at a time is how you'll get good at reacting to accessibility issues quickly and correctly.

Each lesson in this guide focuses on one issue at a time.

They center the 6 most common automatically detectable accessibility issues according to The 2024 WebAIM Million Report.

The vast majority of the noted errors fall into these categories, and have for the past 6 years.

You're getting straightforward steps, practice, progress, and meaningful impact in around 30 minutes or so. No fluff, no BS.

Maybe a little silliness to keep things light. 😌

What's inside?

There are currently 10 pages in the web-based guide.

1. Cover
2. Introduction
3. Lesson 1: Text Color Contrast
4. Lesson 2: Images Missing Alt Text
5. Lesson 3: Inputs Missing Labels
6. Lesson 4: Empty Links
7. Lesson 5: Empty Buttons
8. Lesson 6: Missing Page Language
9. Conclusion
10. Next Steps

Why do you need my name and email?

Your name and email are used for a few things, which I describe in the next few paragraphs. They are not used to sign you up for any newsletter, sales, or marketing email lists.

First, the platform I'm using to deliver the web-based guide creates an account for you. Second, it creates a "project" (that's their terminology) under your name. Next, your guide is generated and your name is used in a few places to personalize the wording.

After your file is generated, the system sends you a confirmation email with a link to your file. When you follow the link, you're prompted for an access code which is sent in a second email.

An account is what helps keep this info between you and me. It's not public, and you can revisit your answers any time after you submit them. You also don't have to submit any of the answers, the platform will call your guide "in progress" (not something I can customize at the moment).

If you sign up for future guides or other materials, you'll be able to access them with this same account. If you request help from me (free or paid!) this is the platform we'll chat in. You'll be able to reference all our communications, notes, and files in one place.

What platform are you using?

The name of the platform is Honeybook.

I use it for business and project management. I share this for transparency, not endorsement. I'm still new to the platform, but I've found it helpful so far as a disabled small business owner.

I have noticed it has some accessibility issues in client-facing areas. Please email me if you can't access something. I'm a paid member and reporting accessibility bugs as I find them. I'm using as many workarounds as possible in the meantime.

Please trust that I will not be renewing my annual plan next year if accessibility issues are not adequately addressed.

What if I just want a PDF or EPUB?

I'm working on those as you read. (Ok maybe not in the exact same moment. I could be sleeping!) Other formats have always been planned, I just shipped the web-based version first. Check back here or my socials each day for an update! It really shouldn't be long.

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