Accessibility Testing
Interface Scope
Summary
Accessibility testing covers public, staff-facing, and administrative interfaces, with the applicable interface scope defined for each service.
Standards
- Accessibility testing MUST be applied to internal and administrative interfaces used by staff.
std-qe-interface-scope-01 - Staff-only usage MUST NOT be treated as grounds for exemption.
std-qe-interface-scope-02 - The scope of interfaces subject to accessibility testing MUST be defined for a service, so no user-facing surface is unintentionally excluded.
std-qe-interface-scope-03
Implements These Principles
Conformance Mapping
Summary
Each accessibility test maps to a specific success criterion and level, so a conformance claim is precise and demonstrable.
Standards
- Each accessibility test case MUST be mapped to the specific success criterion and conformance level it verifies, such as WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast Minimum) at level AA.
std-qe-conformance-mapping-01 - A user interface MUST NOT be described as conformant with an accessibility standard unless every applicable success criterion at its required level has been tested and recorded as passed.
std-qe-conformance-mapping-02
Implements These Principles
Automated Scanning
Summary
Automated accessibility scanning runs against every user interface change in the delivery pipeline and covers programmatically detectable success criteria.
Standards
- An automated accessibility scanning tool SHOULD be integrated into a service's delivery pipeline and run against every change affecting a user interface.
std-qe-automated-scanning-01 - Automated accessibility scanning MUST cover, at minimum, the success criteria reliably detectable without human judgement, such as colour contrast, missing alternative text, and invalid markup.
std-qe-automated-scanning-02
Related Standards
Implements These Principles
Manual & Assistive Testing
Summary
A user interface is manually tested with representative assistive technology by someone trained in its use and the success criteria being verified.
Standards
- A user interface SHOULD be manually tested using assistive technologies representative of its actual users, including a screen reader and keyboard-only navigation.
std-qe-manual-assistive-testing-01 - Manual and assistive technology testing SHOULD be performed by a person trained in the assistive technology being used and the success criteria being verified.
std-qe-manual-assistive-testing-02
Implements These Principles
Independent Testing
Summary
A service with a large user base or likely assistive technology use may undergo independent testing, which supplements team testing and should include lived assistive technology experience.
Standards
- A service with a large user base, or one more likely to be used by people who rely on assistive technology, MAY undergo accessibility testing performed by a party independent of the team that built it, such as an external provider.
std-qe-independent-testing-01 - Independent accessibility testing SHOULD include a person with lived experience of using assistive technology, so a barrier that a specialist might otherwise miss is still identified.
std-qe-independent-testing-02 - Independent verification MUST supplement a delivery team's own automated and manual testing and MUST NOT substitute for that testing.
std-qe-independent-testing-03
Implements These Principles
Reverification
Summary
Accessibility testing repeats after a material redesign, or whenever the adopted accessibility standard is updated.
Standards
- Manual and independent verification SHOULD be repeated after a material redesign or a change likely to affect conformance.
std-qe-reverification-01 - Accessibility testing SHOULD be repeated when the accessibility standard a service conforms to is updated to a new version.
std-qe-reverification-02