10 Easy Checks to Spot Deeper Accessibility Problems

These are simple things anyone can try. If you answer “no” to several of these, there may be bigger issues to address.

1. Can you navigate your website using just the Tab key?
   Press Tab on your keyboard. Do you see a visible highlight move across menus and links?

2. Do images have alt text?
   Do your images have descriptive text either below or in the code?   

3. Is the contrast on your text easy to read?
   Is the text color and the background color different enough that it’s easy to read?

4. Do your videos have captions?
    Can you watch the video with your sound off?

5. Is there a page title on the tab of your browser?
   Looking at the tab, do you know what page you’re on?

6. Do your forms have clear labels next to each field?
   Labels like "Name" and "Email" should be clearly visible.

7. Do your buttons make sense on their own?
   A button should say what it does. "Click here" or "Read more" isn't enough. Should be “Submit” or “Open New Tab”

8. Is important text locked in images?
   Try highlighting text on images. If you can’t, screen readers can’t either.

9. Can you close pop-ups by pressing the Escape key?
   If this isn’t possible, some users might get stuck.

10. Can your kid or family member read your homepage and understand everything?
    Ask someone unfamiliar with your site to read it aloud. If they get confused or skip around, it may be too difficult to follow.