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Module 10: Accessibility Testing

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WCAG 2.1 levels (A/AA/AAA); automated tools (axe-core, Lighthouse); screen reader testing with NVDA and VoiceOver; keyboard navigation testing.

Overview

This module is a stub. Content will be added in a future iteration.

Topics covered in this module:

  • WCAG 2.1 — the four principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust); A/AA/AAA conformance levels
  • axe-core — the industry-standard accessibility rule engine; @axe-core/playwright for automated scanning
  • Lighthouse — running Lighthouse accessibility audits in CI
  • Keyboard navigation testing — tab order, focus management, keyboard traps, skip links
  • Screen reader testing — NVDA (Windows), VoiceOver (macOS/iOS), TalkBack (Android); how to test with each
  • ARIA attributes — roles, states, properties; when ARIA helps and when it creates more confusion
  • Color contrast testing — WCAG contrast ratios, automated detection, manual verification
  • Common accessibility bugs — missing alt text, unlabeled form fields, poor focus indicators, inaccessible modals
  • Legal context — ADA, Section 508, European Accessibility Act; why accessibility has legal implications

Prerequisites

  • Module 05: End-to-End Testing in this topic — Playwright-based accessibility testing builds on E2E foundations
  • Basic HTML knowledge — semantic HTML elements, form elements, ARIA attributes

Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  1. Run axe-core accessibility audits via Playwright and interpret the results
  2. Identify WCAG 2.1 AA violations and know how to fix the most common ones
  3. Test keyboard navigation for a web application
  4. Use NVDA or VoiceOver to verify screen reader compatibility for a basic flow
  5. Integrate automated accessibility testing into a CI/CD pipeline
  • [[qa-testing/modules/05_e2e-testing]] — Playwright is the primary tool for automated accessibility testing in this module
  • [[javascript-typescript-react]] — React component accessibility with React Testing Library's accessibility queries
  • [[qa-testing/modules/11_qa-strategy-and-metrics]] — Accessibility requirements belong in the QA strategy