One in four people in the United States — and more than a billion people worldwide — have a disability. Accessibility is the inclusive practice of removing barriers that prevent people with disabilities from doing what they need to do online. Integrating simple web page elements can have a huge impact on the experience these types of users have when visiting your website.
The Accessibility Score contains two categories of accessibility issues:
WCAG conformance – Levels A, AA, and AAA issues related to WCAG 2.1
Accessibility best practices – Issues related to WAI-ARIA authoring practices and general accessibility best practices.
The Accessibility Score is made up of 90 points awarded for WCAG conformance (Levels A, AA, and AAA), with the remaining 10 points gained for the use of accessibility best practices.
Example of an Accessibility Score
Accessibility checks for WCAG conformance are based on the Accessibility Conformance Rules (ACT) Format 1.0 adopted by the W3C in 2019. Incorporating ACT into accessibility checks ensures that: (1) the Accessibility Score provides an accurate measurement of your website’s level of accessibility; and (2) the accessibility checks meet the success criteria under WCAG 2.1.
Accessibility checks for accessibility best practices include the following:
WAI-ARIA authoring practices – checks that help track and measure how well a website implements and uses ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications).
Accessibility best practices – checks related to content and code that have a significant impact on user experience but are not covered by WCAG. One example is detecting the improper use of heading tags (i.e., h1, h2, h3). These tags enable screen readers to navigate a page much faster. By keeping accessibility best practices like heading tags in mind, you can ensure your website can be used by as many people as possible.