How to Perform Comprehensive ADA Testing

Does your website work well for everyone who visits it? If you’re not testing your site for accessibility, you might be excluding millions of potential users and risking expensive lawsuits. 

In 2022 alone, plaintiffs filed over 3,000 federal lawsuits about website accessibility, with 97% focusing specifically on website access issues. That’s why you should periodically be testing your website or web application to ensure it complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

But ADA testing doesn’t have to be complicated. By combining smart automated tools with hands-on testing approaches, you can make your website more welcoming for everyone. Plus, you’ll protect your organisation from legal troubles.

In this guide, you’ll learn practical strategies for ADA testing that fit into your existing workflows. We’ll cover everything from basic WCAG requirements to advanced testing techniques – whether you’re building a new site or improving an existing one.

ADA testing helps ensure your website works well for people with disabilities and that your site meets the requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. When websites aren’t properly tested for accessibility, two big problems can occur:

First, you might face legal issues. Take the famous Domino’s Pizza case, where a person who was blind couldn’t order pizza through their website or app because they weren’t compatible with screen readers. This led to a lawsuit that went all the way to the Supreme Court, which decided to uphold the judgment against Domino’s by a lower court. 

Second, you’re missing out on connecting with a huge audience. About 13.5% of the U.S. population has disabilities, representing $490 billion in spending power. That’s a lot of potential customers who might struggle to use your website if it’s not properly tested.

So, who needs to test their sites? While every website should be accessible, these organisations must comply with the ADA:

The best time to start testing? Right at the beginning of your website project. As Taeke Reijenga, founder & trainer at The A11Y Collective, says: 

But don’t worry if your site is already live – you can still add accessibility testing to your regular maintenance routine. Just remember: this isn’t a one-time job. You’ll want to keep testing as you update your site.

When testing for ADA compliance, you’ll want to check your site against the WCAG principles, often remembered by the acronym POUR: 

To measure how well your site aligns with these principles, WCAG has three levels of conformance:

Next, we’ll look at specific techniques and tools you can use to test these requirements on your site.

Testing for ADA compliance requires both automated and manual approaches. Automated tools provide efficient, scalable testing for technical compliance, while manual testing ensures a comprehensive evaluation of user experience and complex accessibility scenarios. A well-structured testing workflow combines both methods to achieve thorough coverage of WCAG requirements.

Automated testing tools scan your website’s code to find common accessibility problems quickly. These tools can check hundreds of pages in minutes, finding issues like:

⚠️Don’t rely on automated tools alone! For example, they can flag missing alt text, but they won’t flag any nonsensical descriptions, which are just as bad. 

While automated tools are helpful, they can’t catch everything. Manual testing helps find issues that need human judgment, like:

Here’s how to conduct manual testing effectively:

Most importantly, involve people who use assistive technologies in your testing. Their real-world experience provides insights that no automated tool can match.

Different phases of your project need different testing approaches. Here’s a practical breakdown of what to check at each stage:

💡 Did you know? Testing at the design phase can prevent accessibility issues from ever being coded. That’s why designers using tools like Figma’s contrast plugins save their teams hours of rework later.

Remember: the earlier you catch issues, the cheaper they are to fix. A colour contrast problem caught in Figma takes seconds to adjust. The same issue discovered after launch might mean redesigning entire components.

Keeping up with accessibility standards forms the foundation of good ADA testing. WCAG 2.1 is the standard quoted in many legislations, while WCAG 2.2 is the latest version, so make sure you have a good understanding of both of these. If you want to be proactive, you can also keep an eye on the future version – WCAG 3.0.

Make accessibility testing simple by creating clear, easy-to-follow testing checklists, setting up regular testing schedules, building testing into your team’s routine, and, most of all, training your team on accessibility basics. 

Test your site regularly, especially after:

You also need to set up a thorough testing protocol that combines automated tools and manual testing. The best strategy here is to undertake regular professional ADA audits from experts like The A11Y Collective. We will test your site across different devices and browsers, include people with disabilities in the testing team, and ensure you’re fully compliant with laws like the ADA. 

Documentation plays a vital role in maintaining accessibility standards. Each time you test, record the date, scope, and tools used. Note any issues you discover and document your fixes in detail. When you retest, keep track of the improvements. This detailed record-keeping helps you spot patterns, track progress, and demonstrate your commitment to accessibility.

Finally, your team’s knowledge and skills make a big difference in maintaining an accessible website. Invest time in teaching them about accessibility principles and how to spot common issues. Help them understand how to use testing tools effectively and why inclusive design matters.

When your whole team appreciates the importance of accessibility, they’re more likely to catch and fix problems early. This shared understanding creates a culture where accessibility becomes second nature rather than an afterthought.

Understanding how to test for accessibility issues is just the first step. Building a truly accessible website requires ongoing learning and commitment from your entire team.

Remember, your main goal should be to create better experiences for real people. When websites aren’t accessible, 71% of users with disabilities simply leave. That’s a lot of people who might never return to your site.

At The A11Y Collective, we offer courses to help you master every aspect of web accessibility. Whether you’re just starting to learn about ADA requirements or ready to dive into advanced design and coding techniques, you’ll find courses that match your needs.

Need to know where your site stands right now? At The A11Y Collective, we provide thorough accessibility audits that examine your code, design, and content. These audits help you understand exactly what needs improving and how to fix it.

It’s time to build something that truly works for everyone who visits your site. Get started with our audit service at The A11Y Collective to guide you through your next steps toward better accessibility!