Now, I will share how to automate accessibility tests with Cypress.

Why should we care about accessibility?

Short answer: because it is the right thing to do.

Long answer: an accessible web can help people with disabilities improve their lives.

There are different kinds of disabilities, including auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech and visual. And our goal as product creators, engineers, and designers is to create experiences that include all people.

It is also important to mention that web accessibility also benefits people without disabilities.

For example, accessible sites help people with changing abilities due to ageing or people with slow Internet connections or those using devices with small screens.

And a disability can also be temporary. For example, someone with a broken arm can’t type and use a mouse at the same time.

If you want to educate yourself about the topic, I can recommend the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C WAI) and The A11Y Project.

Accessibility testing techniques

There are different ways to test if your website/app is accessible. The W3C WAI has a list of 140+ tools to help you determine if your website/app meets accessibility guidelines.

You can also add in your strategy:

• Real user testing: companies like Fable connect you and people with disabilities so that your research and user testing can help you meet your compliance goals.
• Browser extensions: axe is a recommended extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge that helps identify and resolve common accessibility issues.

The accessibility engine of axe is open-source and it can be used in different ways, as this post will show.

#testing #cypress #web-development #developer