Accessibility audits are formal, fully manual evaluations that identify accessibility issues by grading a digital asset against a WCAG standard. Automated accessibility scans are quick assessments that use rule sets to check code for issues.
That is a Gulf of Mexico sized difference and sometimes clients are under the impression we’re running a scan when we audit — that is not the case. Below is an example from an exchange with a prospective client.
| Key Point | What It Means for You |
|---|---|
| Who Does the Work | A scan is an automated tool that checks code against pre-programmed rules. A manual audit is performed by a technical accessibility expert evaluating your digital asset against WCAG 2.1 AA. |
| WCAG Coverage | Scans can only flag or partially flag approximately 25% of WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria. A manual audit evaluates all applicable success criteria. |
| Accuracy | Scans flag issues and produce false negatives and occasionally false positives. Accessibility audits rely on human judgment to identify actual issues. True technical experts are rarely wrong in identifying issues. |
| What Gets Evaluated | Scans only read code. Audits consist of manual evaluation: screen reader testing, keyboard testing, visual inspection, code inspection, and color contrast analysis. |
| Usability for Documentation | A scan result cannot support a VPAT, ACR, conformance statement, or certification. Only an actual audit can be used to accurately and completely fill in this documentation. |
Client:
The $2300 quote is fine. Before we get started, I had a few questions:
- Is this an entire site scan? If so, when would you begin, and how long does it take to get full results?
- We outsource our website maintenance to a 3rd party company, will your findings provide clear instruction on how to fix to be in compliance?
- Do you consult on these issues, should we need to come back to you for more information or guidance (or potentially more)?
- As you can imagine, we are also looking at social media and video compliance — do you have any confirmed best practices in those areas as well that you can share?
Our truncated response:
- This is an audit (with manual evaluation) for the scope I’ve defined in the previous email, not the entire site. We would begin shortly after the agreement is signed and payment is received. From the date of confirmation, this would take us two weeks.
- Yes, our audits include suggested remediation with a code example where applicable. You can also use our Accessibility Tracker platform which has AI guidance for fixes and also automated scan access.
- Yes, we can provide technical support hours. We usually use these for validation of fixes, but we can include technical consulting as well.As far as videos, we have a detailed write-up on YouTube accessibility.
- As far as social media, we can potentially create a guide — what platforms are you looking for?
We can offer both WCAG audits and accessibility scans.
For an audit, contact us with your digital asset and we’ll be right back with you.
For a scan, you can use the free single page scan on Accessibility Tracker or sign up for a plan and have access to scanning for several pages along with monitoring.
Other automated scans include WAVE by WebAIM, Google Lighthouse, and AXE scan.
