Accessibility Audit

An accessibility audit evaluates a website or application against accessibility standards to identify barriers for people with disabilities.

What is an accessibility audit?

An accessibility audit is a structured review of a website or application against a set of accessibility standards, most often WCAG. The goal is to find barriers that stop people with disabilities from using the product and to provide clear steps to fix each issue.^[1]

Why do organizations need accessibility audits?

Audits turn abstract requirements into concrete action. Without one, legal teams cannot know if the site meets EU or UK regulations. IT teams cannot prioritize fixes in their backlog. And content teams cannot tell which templates or page types create the most barriers.

For large organizations — banks, insurers, government agencies, healthcare providers — the risk is high. A public-sector site in the EU must meet WCAG 2.1 AA by law. An e-commerce site with over 10 employees and more than two million euros in turnover falls under the European Accessibility Act from June 2025.

How do automated and manual testing differ?

Audits combine two methods:

Automated testing uses tools like axe, Lighthouse, or WAVE to scan code for known issues. It is fast and repeatable, which makes it ideal for CI/CD pipelines and large sites. But automated tools catch only about 30-40% of all possible WCAG failures.^[2]

Manual testing means a trained evaluator works through tasks using only a keyboard, a screen reader, and other assistive tools. Manual testing catches problems automation misses — like whether alt text is accurate, whether focus order makes sense, or whether error messages are clear.

A strong audit uses both. Automated scans cover breadth. Manual review covers depth.

How are pages selected for an audit?

Most websites are too large to test every page. Auditors choose a sample that covers:

Each unique page template (home page, article page, product page, form)
Each type of interactive component (search, filters, menus, modals)
Each critical user journey (sign in, check out, submit a form, download a document)

The sampling method should be documented so teams know which templates each finding applies to.^[3]

What does an audit report include?

A formal report lists each finding with:

The WCAG rule that was broken (e.g., 1.4.3 Contrast)
The conformance level (A, AA, or AAA)
Where the issue appears on the site
Who is affected (e.g., screen reader users, keyboard users)
A recommended fix
A severity or priority rating

IT teams use the report to plan fix sprints. Legal teams use it to assess risk. Content teams use it to update their publishing guidelines.

Which laws require an audit?

Several regulations either require or strongly imply a formal audit:

European Accessibility Act (EAA) — From June 2025, companies offering products or services in the EU must show they meet accessibility requirements. Documented evidence is needed, which in practice means an audit.
EU Web Accessibility Directive — Public sector bodies must publish an accessibility statement based on a conformance assessment.
US Section 508 — Federal agencies must procure accessible technology and use VPATs to document compliance.

A single audit is not enough. New features, template changes, and third-party widgets can introduce issues that were not there before. Regular audits — at least annually — are needed to stay compliant as the site evolves.^[1]

How Askem Helps

A one-time audit tells you where you stood on the day it was done. For large regulated organizations publishing new content every week, continuous monitoring tools fill the gap between annual audits. Tools like Askem scan entire sites — including login-gated areas and PDFs — and alert content teams when new WCAG failures appear. This gives legal teams documented evidence of ongoing compliance efforts without waiting for the next consulting engagement.

Sources

W3C WAI — Evaluating Web Accessibility Overview: https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/
Deque — How Much of an Accessibility Audit Can Be Automated: https://www.deque.com/blog/automated-testing-study-identifies-57-percent-of-digital-accessibility-issues/
W3C — Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM) 1.0: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG-EM/