Accessibility
Universal Accessibility
Summary
Accessibility requirements apply to all public, internal, and administrative interfaces.
Reasoning
The need for accessible interaction does not depend on whether an interface serves the public, employees, or administrators. Excluding an interface because of its audience can prevent people from completing the same work or accessing the same information as other users.
Internal and administrative interfaces also support the delivery and operation of services. Barriers in those interfaces restrict who can perform that work and can make an otherwise accessible service depend on inaccessible supporting activity.
Implemented By These Standards
Accessibility Lifecycle Verification
Summary
Accessibility conformance is verified throughout an interface's lifecycle using automated checks and manual testing selected for the applicable criteria and interactions, then re-verified when the interface or criteria change.
Reasoning
Implementation alone does not demonstrate that an interface meets its accessibility requirements. Automated checks can identify defects that are expressed in code, while manual testing assesses interactions and outcomes that require human judgement or use of assistive technology.
Using both forms of testing provides broader evidence than either can provide alone. The coverage reflects the applicable criteria, the range and complexity of interactions, and the consequences of barriers. Repeating the checks as the interface evolves detects barriers introduced by changes to functionality, content, or design.
Conformance evidence applies only to the interface and criteria that were tested. Re-verification after either changes establishes whether the current interface still meets the requirements instead of relying on evidence for an earlier version.