WCAG Compliance Auditing

EAA, 508 & ADA Compliance testing of websites, SaaS & mobile apps starts with WCAG auditing

The Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) serve as the standard for digital accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as the European Accessibility Act, Ontario’s AODA, and other global regulations. While cloud-based software, SaaS platforms, web apps, and mobile apps also require compliance, the primary legal focus remains on websites. The latest WCAG version is 2.2, but in practice, compliance requirements generally align with WCAG 2.1 A and AA for 508 and ADA compliance.

The most effective approach to WCAG testing combines both automated and manual evaluations. Despite advancements in AI, automated tools are still limited, detecting only about 30-40% of accessibility issues. That’s why we follow best practices with a three-step WCAG compliance audit, which includes automated scanning, human assistive technology testing, and manual UX and code reviews. If you need confidence in your WCAG compliance, our audits are conducted by highly skilled and credentialed accessibility experts.

Every member of our team is senior-level, with over ten years of experience in comprehensive WCAG audits and remediation consulting.

A few key points to keep in mind:

The European Accessibility Act (EAA), similar to GDPR, applies to U.S. companies that engage with EU citizens.
Be cautious of overlay solutions—not only do they fail to deliver on their promises, but they can also increase the risk of lawsuits.
Legal risks related to web accessibility are growing and unlikely to disappear.
The compliance process involves three steps: a website WCAG audit, followed by remediation, and then verification.
Automated testing tools, even with AI, can only detect about 30% of WCAG issues.

Before starting the process, consider where your website is in its lifecycle. Has it been updated in the past four or five years? If not, it may be more cost-effective to invest in a fully WCAG-compliant website designed and developed by accessibility experts, rather than spending resources on auditing and remediating an outdated site.

If your current website is in good shape and you’re ready to move forward with auditing and remediation, here’s what that process looks like:

What does web accessibility compliance auditing include?

Defect list

Defects are organized by WCAG criteria and component, with clear explanations based on the success criteria in violation.

Suggested Fixes

Code examples demonstrating how to potentially resolve the component violation.

Screenshots

Screenshots and screen recordings are provided to illustrate each defect and pinpoint its location.

Report summary

A clear summary of your site’s accessibility, outlining what was tested and how the evaluation was conducted.

Prioritization

Each defect is categorized by severity level to help your team understand the priority of the tasks.

Final Review

At the conclusion of the audit, our expert testers will answer questions and provide detailed explanations.