PageAccess — Making Accessibility Accessible

You get a message from someone who audits websites saying your site isn't very accessible and you should fix it – but nobody tells you how.

Sound familiar?

If you've ever found yourself in that situation, we're offering a helping hand!

What is web accessibility?

Web accessibility means that websites and applications are designed and built so that everyone can use them, regardless of their abilities or limitations. That includes users with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive impairments.

How does PageAccess work?

It's simple. You enter your website's address into a text field. After clicking the "test website" button, the tool tests the entire page and evaluates any problem areas. It also suggests possible solutions. The whole process is in Czech and written to be understandable for everyone.

Who is the tool for?

The tool is meant for anyone who wants to improve the accessibility of their website. It's designed to be useful for people like public sector employees, librarians, teachers, and others who manage websites but don't have deep technical knowledge.

For example, a librarian might need to make their library's website accessible but not know how. Our tool gives them clear, easy-to-understand instructions for making the necessary changes.

How does the tool help?

Users can easily test their website's accessibility. The test results are presented in an understandable form that describes the errors found and offers tips on how to fix them. This lets the user make the needed adjustments. PageAccess is, of course, accessible itself, so it can also be used by people with any form of health-related or situational impairment.

Advantages of PageAccess

• Clarity: All results are presented in Czech and written so that everyone can understand them.
• Practicality: Users get specific instructions for fixing the errors found, making it easier to implement the necessary changes.
• Availability: The tool is available online, so it's easy to access from anywhere.

Our website accessibility testing tool is a significant step toward making websites more accessible to all users. We believe that PageAccess will make life easier not just for public sector employees, but for anyone who manages websites and wants them to be accessible to everyone.

Automated testing isn't enough

It's important to keep in mind that a tool that tests website accessibility automatically, like PageAccess, can't catch 100% of possible accessibility shortcomings. It doesn't know the context of a given page, or the specific needs of a user who might visit your website.

Web accessibility specialists agree that automated tools can correctly identify only about 25% of potential barriers. Sometimes such a tool might even flag something as a shortcoming that, in practice and real-world use, isn't actually a problem.

So treat the results from PageAccess more as a general recommendation and a first introduction to accessibility issues. If you fix everything PageAccess points out, you won't go wrong.

But if you want to take accessibility more seriously in the future, and make sure you've done everything you can to improve your website's accessibility, reach out for further advice and consultation to the creators of this tool – the Théseus project by the Teiresiás Centre at Masaryk University a Superkoders.