Basic accessibility checklist
This guide lists simple accessibility checks anyone can do without special tools or expertise. It's a starting point to raise awareness of common accessibility issues rather than a full or technical checklist. These quick tests will give you a sense of how accessible a website or application is.
Check that content is perceivable
Content must be presented in a way that people can perceive, using the senses available to them. This includes people with visual or hearing impairments.
Do prerecorded videos with audio have captions and audio descriptions
Captions are the text you see at the bottom of a video showing what people are saying and sometimes important sounds, like [music playing] or [door slams].
Audio descriptions (AD) are extra spoken narration that explains key visual details such as actions, expressions or scene changes. They’re spoken during natural pauses in the audio to fill in details that aren’t communicated through speech.
If videos are present and the audio conveys information, captions must be available for people who can’t hear the audio, and audio descriptions for those who can’t perceive visual information. This benefits:
- People with hearing disabilties
- People who don't have headphones or aren't able to play audio (e.g., in a quiet office)
- People in a noisy environment (e.g., bus, train or gym)
- People with visual impairments
Find videos and test:
- Captions are available (they may need to be turned on)
- Captions match the audio and are synchronised correctly
- Audio descriptions are available or are built into the video
Instructions don't rely solely on sensory characteristics
Instructions shouldn’t rely only on visual cues like colour, shape, size or position to explain something, as not everyone can perceive these details.
For example, if content says "see the red section on the right", it could cause problems for:
- People with low vision or blindness, who can't see colour or location
- People with colour blindness (Colour Vision Deficiency) - who may not perceive red as red
- People using screen readers, as content is read linearly and visual styling like colour isn't conveyed
- People using a small screen or high zoom level, where content may stack vertically, removing the "right side" completely
Review page content and check that shape, colour, size or location are not used to convey information.
Colour alone isn't used to convey information
Similiar to the previous point, colour should never be the only way to communicate meaning or prompt action.
This benefits:
- People with low vision or blindness
- Older people who may find colours harder to distinguish
- People with colour blindness (Colour Vision Deficiency)
- People using screen readers (which don’t detect colour)
Review how colour is used on the page and check:
- Required form fields aren't indicated by colour alone
- Form inputs with error don't rely on colour alone to convey error state (errror should be explained in text)
- Links in blocks of text don't use colour alone to convey that they are links (typically links have an underline)
- Data in charts and graphs isn't conveyed by colour alone
Page content can be resized
People with vision impairments or those who find larger text easier to read may need to increase text size to read it confortably. Often this is done either with browser zoom or via browser settings.
Increase the zoom level of a page (cmd + + on Mac or Ctrl + + on PC) and check:
- Text content resizes as expected
- Content is still visible and readable, no text is cut off, overlaps other text or is truncated
- Content is still visible without having to scroll horizontally
- There is no loss of functionality
Text readability
Text appearence and styling can affect readability. Using simple, familiar fonts and left aligned text improves legibility. Avoid overusing bold, italics or ALL CAPS, especially in large blocks of text.
Review text content on the page and check:
- A common, simple font is used
- Text is left-aligned, not fully justified
- Bold, italic and capitalised text is used sparingly for emphasis only
- Text is easy to see against its background colour
- Headings and labels are styled consistency and clearly
Check that content is operable
Not everyone uses a mouse, trackpad or touchscreen. Some rely on the keyboard, speech recognition or assistive technology due to mobility, vision or preference. When content works well with a keyboard, it usually works well with other input methods too.
Keyboard
Using only your keyboard, check:
- All links, buttons and form fields can be navigated to using the Tab key
- You can move backwards through them using Shift + tab
- Buttons can be activated using Enter or Spacebar
- Links can be activated using Enter
- Each interactive element shows a visible focus indicator when tabbed to (such as an outline or background change)
- The focus indicator doesn't disapear when tabbing through the page
- The tab order is logical and predictable (usually top to bottom, left to right)
Skip links
Skip links, like “Skip to content,” help keyboard and assistive technology users jump straight to the main content of a page. They are typically found at the top of the page, though they’re often hidden until you press the Tab key. They allow users to skip over repeated elements like navigation menus, saving users from having to tab through the same links on every page they visit.
To test skip links using your keyboard:
- Press Tab when the page loads and check that a skip link appears (it might be hidden until focused)
- It should be the first item to receive focus (unless a cookie banner appears first)
- Confirm the skip link can be activated with Enter
- Check that focus correctly moves to the main content area after activation
Check that content is understandable
A clear content structure makes it easier for all users to scan, understand, and navigate information - especially those using screen readers, keyboard navigation, or who have cognitive disabilities or people reading in a noisy or distracting environemnt. Proper use of headings creates a logical outline of the page, allowing assistive technology users to jump between sections quickly. Lists help break down complex info into bite-sized points that are easier to follow.
A clear content structure makes it easier for everyone to scan, understand and navigate - especially people using screen readers, keyboard navigation or those in noisy or distracting environments. Proper use of headings creates a logical outline of the page (allowing screen reader users to jump between sections quickly). Lists break down complex information into easier parts.
Content structure and formatting
Ensure the page content has a logical structure and proper formatting helps improve readability and understanding.
Read through the page and check:
- Content is organised into clear, logical sections
- Descriptive headings label each section
- Important information and calls to action are placed early in the content structure
- Paragraphs should be relatively short
- Lists are used where appropriate (bullet lists for unordered information and numbered lists for ordered steps or sequences)
Link text
Link text should make it clear where the link will take the user. Vague phrases like "click here" or "read more" don’t give enough information. This is especially important for people using screen readers, who might hear links read out of context while keyboard tabbing through the page or listening to a list of all links on the page.
Review all links on a page and check:
- Link text clearly describes the destination
- Ambigous link text, like "click here", "read more" or "apply now" isn't used
- Raw URLs are not used as link text (they’re hard to listen to in screen readers and don't always clearly describe the destination page)
- If a link opens a document, include the file type and size, for example: Accessibility checklist (PDF, 120KB)
Page titles
Page titles appear in the browser tab and help users understand the purpose of the page. They’re also the first thing screen readers announce when a page loads.
Check that each page title:
- Describes the topic or purpose (for example, "Renew your passport")
- Starts with the page name rather than the site name
- They’re short, clear and to the point – shorter titles are easier to read, understand, and listen to with a screen reader
- Helps users tell tabs apart when several pages are open
Summary
These checks are just a starting point - simple, non-technical tests anyone can use to get a feel for how accessible a page or site is. They won't cover every issue, but they'll help spot the some common barriers that affect people’s ability to use your content.