Website Accessibility Check Self-Assessment

Complete this short survey to check the accessibility of your website

Understanding Website Content Accessibility Best Practices

This self-assessment is based on conformance with Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). State and local governments are required to meet WCAG2.1 AA in the next 2-3 years. Conforming with WCAG is also required for compliance with the European Accessibility Act and can help with Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

  • Color Contrast: Text and background colors need to have sufficient contrast so that users with color-blindness, low vision or other visual impairments can read your content. High contrast colors also help all users of mobile devices in high glare settings. Use WAVE to test the color contrast of your web pages.
  • Alt text for images: Alt text provides a text alternative for users who cannot see your images.
  • E-commerce: Out-of-the-box e-commerce tools frequently have accessibility issues. As a result, e-commerce sites are frequently sued for not being accessible.
  • Drop Down Menus: In many themes and page builder tools, drop down menus can only be accessed through mouse hover. Users who only use a keyboard cannot access these menus.
  • “Read More” and “Learn More” links: These are referred to as “ambiguous links” that do not provide screen reader users enough information about what content the link goes to. These types of links require aria-label attributes to provide more information to the user in order to be accessible.
  • Forms: WCAG has a number of requirements for forms including how fields are labeled and how errors are handled. Forms need to be reviewed and tested carefully in order to ensure accessibility.
  • Videos: Videos need to have captions and transcripts available in order to be accessible to the most users. Captions and transcripts are also helpful for users who are learning a language, are trying to watch your video in a noisy environment or in a quiet environment without headphones.
  • Flashing, blinking or moving content: Content that flashes, blinks or has a lot of animation can cause issues for users with epilepsy or other motion-related conditions.
  • Sliders and carousels: Sliders and carousels are often not built in a way that keyboard-only users can interact with. Also, studies have shown that users do not typically view the additional slides.
  • Popups, models and accordions: Popups, modal and accordions can be hard for keyboard-only and screen reader users to interact with unless they are built properly. These content features can often have negative SEO impacts.
  • PDFs: PDF documents require additional tagging in order to be accessible.
  • Tables: Tables must be coded properly in order to be accessible for screen reader users.
  • Toolbars: Accessibility toolbars cannot make sites WCAG-compliant and can interfere with the settings and tools that users already have in place to interact with websites.
  • Divi Theme: The popular Divi Theme has multiple inherent accessibility issues that require additional work to overcome.

Self Assessment Survey

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Does your site use high-contrast color combinations?(Required)
Does every meaningful image (non-decorative) on your site have descriptive alt text?(Required)
Does your site include e-commerce?(Required)
Does your site have drop down navigation menus?(Required)
Does your site include "Read More" and "Learn More" links?(Required)
Does your site have a form that collects information from the user?(Required)
Do your site include videos (including background videos)?(Required)
Does your site have content or animation that flashes, blinks or moves automatically?(Required)
Does your site have sliders or carousels?(Required)
Does your site have content that appears in pop ups, modals, tabs, or collapsable/expandable regions?(Required)
Does your site content include PDFs?(Required)
Does your site content include tables of data?(Required)
Does your site have an accessibility toolbar?(Required)
Is your site built using the Divi Theme?(Required)
Add your contact information to receive a copy of your results.
Name(Required)

Elevage Digital Accessibility Services

Audits

What’s preventing someone from using your site?

Remediation

Remove the barriers preventing someone from using your site.

Monitoring

Regular testing and updates

*LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Elevage Digital uses current WCAG standards as the guide for website accessibility best practices. However, following these best practices may not automatically result in an ADA-compliant website or compliance with any other laws. Elevage Digital cannot offer legal advice on compliance. Elevage Digital cannot guarantee protection against legal action related to compliance with ADA guidelines for Elevage Digitals’ potential and current customers. Elevage Digital will not be liable for any claims brought against potential or current clients related to ADA compliance; further, Elevage Digital will not be liable for claims related to code or content produced by you or any third party. If you are concerned about legal compliance with ADA guidelines or any other legalities related to your website, you must consult a licensed attorney.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – all public websites are subject to the ADA. State and local governments are required to meet WCAG 2.1 AA for all of their digital content starting in 2026.
  • Section 504 and Section 508 – If your business is subject to Section 504 or Section 508, your website must meet WCAG 2.1 AA
  • European Accessibility Act (EAA) – If your business sells to customers in European Union countries, your website must meet WCAG 2.1 AA starting in June 2025
  • Virginia Information Technology Standard (VITA) – All Virginia state agencies, colleges, universities, and other public organizations must meet WCAG 2.0 AA
  • Other states and countries may have additional laws and regulations that you need to meet. These laws apply based on where your customers are, not where your business is based.

It is estimated that up to 25% of the population has a disability. People with disabilities may not be using your website because you haven’t made it accessible. But if your competitors have done a better job, they are likely getting the sales you are missing out on.

Applying accessibility best practices also helps people who:

  • have trouble reading small text, especially in low light
  • have ADHD
  • find it hard to read their phone screen in bright outdoor sunlight
  • watch videos in noisy environments and prefer to read the captions
  • have broken or have had surgery on their dominant hand/arm, making it hard to use a computer mouse
  • have arthritis in their hands, making it painful or difficult to use a computer mouse
  • have conditions like vertigo, seizures, or migraines that can be triggered by motion or flashing lights
  • have dyslexia

Do any of these describe your current or target customers?

No! Approximately 25% of accessibility lawsuits are against sites that have these tools. Despite their marketing claims, these tools cannot make your site WCAG compliant. One such tool has even been fined by the FTC for these misleading claims.

People with sight-related disabilities typically have their own assistive technology tools that can be used across all websites. They don’t need you to provide special tools. In fact, these toolbars often get in the way of their assistive technologies, which is part of the reason for the high number of lawsuits against sites with these widgets.

Achieving accessibility is a journey and every journey starts with a step. Here are some steps you can consider:

  • Remove Accessibility Toolbars, Widgets and Overlays: The presence of these tools on your site can increase the risk of being sued and will interfere with testing and properly fixing issues on your site
  • Test your site: Use free tools and Chrome extensions to start identifying issues. Use only your keyboard to navigate and interact with your site. For more extensive testing, have a full accessibility audit conducted for your site.
  • Add an Accessibility Statement: Let your users know you are committed to finding and fixing accessibility issues on your site. Include contact information for the person heading your accessibility initiatives in case users have trouble using your site.
  • Here are some additional steps to consider

Elevage Digital can audit websites built on any platform (ex. Wix, Shopify, SquareSpace, Drupal, CivicPlus, etc.). Depending on the platform, you may need to work with the website software provider or a developer that specializes in a particular platform in order to remediate issues. Elevage Digital only remediates and builds new sites on WordPress.

Yes! Elevage Digital frequently partners with other agencies who are leading the website redesign and building project. We can review color palettes, design mockups, page templates and nearly complete sites to identify accessibility issues that should be addressed before launch. We also offer post-launch monitoring and maintenance to help you maintain accessibility.

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If you would like to talk about how Elevage Digital can address your specific needs, provide some details to start the conversation.

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Selected Digital Accessibility Articles from Elevage Digital