When we think testing for accessibility, then we can not get pass the fact that testing should be user-oriented and also guidelines-oriented.
So the usability for all is the main agenda. But it is easier to follow best practices, guidelines and even rules to get there.
Therefore – we have to consider conformance evaluation methodologies that are a part of W3C and not re-invent them from scratch.
Document from W3C that describes the conformance evaluation methods and proposed practice (opens in new tab) is a very eye-opening and must-read set of steps and suggestions and it should be a part of accessibility curriculum for any web-developer, tester and even expand to other roles – such as designers and project managers.
Only then we can really be sure to know what is to be expected from all the work invested – and how to verify and validate it’s attribution to web accessibility.
In the document we get reminded that:
“it is necessary to evaluate the accessibility of a website before releasing, acquiring or redesigning the website and for periodic monitoring of the accessibility performance of a website over time”
So this is a valuable and inspiring source for everybody and for every phase of the project too.