accessibility-testing-strategy

Automated accessibility testing catches roughly 30% of issues because the remaining 70% require human judgment to evaluate keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and plain-language content.

Plan an accessibility testing strategy by defining scope and tasks for automated, manual, and user testing across releases. Specify requirements for test planning, roles, tooling, and reporting to uncover barriers.

The best way to test keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility is a layered strategy: automated checks for common barriers, manual expert testing for focus and reading order, and user testing with disabled participants.

Schedule automated checks during CI pipelines, and perform manual accessibility testing pre-release. Define clear roles and reporting methods to track findings across these distinct testing phases.

User testing with disabled participants is necessary to surface real-world issues. Automated and manual expert testing alone cannot fully verify plain-language content or realistic screen reader interactions.

A complete accessibility testing plan requires defining who performs automated, manual, and user tests, alongside clear reporting requirements to track findings, tooling needs, and test planning across releases.