Accessibility Testing Tools Set-Up Guide
The following guide explains how to set up and configure accessibility testing tools for the evaluation of websites and PDFs.
Table of Contents
- Colour Contrast Analyser
- NVDA Screen Reader
- Adobe Acrobat
- PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC) 2024
- Browser Extensions
- Bookmarklets
Colour Contrast Analyser
Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA) can be installed from the software center on most university computers. If it does not appear in your software center, send a request to your local IT department to install it from the CCA download page.
To install CCA from the Software Center, do the following:
- Open the Start Menu
- Type “Software Center” in the Start Menu search box
- Press Enter
- Select “Applications” in the left-hand menu
- Click on “Colour Contrast Analyser” in the table
- Click the “Install” button
NVDA Screen Reader
These instructions are intended for individuals who use NVDA for accessibility testing alone. If you are a screen reader user, you may find some of the instructions useful, but some of these may turn off core features you may need – use caution.
1) Install NVDA
NVDA can be installed from the software center on most university computers. If it does not appear in your software center, send a request to your local IT department to install it from the NVDA download page.
To install NVDA from the Software Center, do the following:
- Open the Start Menu
- Type “Software Center” in the Start Menu search box
- Press Enter
- Select “Applications” in the left-hand menu
- Click on “NV Access – NVDA” in the table
- Click the “Install” button
2) Set the NVDA modifier key
The “modifier key” is used in combination with other keys to activate screen reader features. For example, an NVDA user can press the modifier key and the “Q” key at the same time to quit NVDA.
Tip: Press the modifier key by itself to pause the screen reader announcement.
By default, the modifier key is “Insert” – located to the right of the “backspace” key, above the “del” button on a full-sized keyboard.
However, if you are using a keyboard without an Insert key, you will need to set the modifier key to “CapsLock.”
To change the modifier key, do the following:
- Launch NVDA. A “Welcome to NVDA” dialog will appear.
- In the dialog, under “Options,” check “Use CapsLock as an NVDA modifier key.”
- Press the “OK” button.
3) Disable “Welcome to NVDA” Dialog on Startup
By default, every time NVDA is launched, a “welcome” dialog will appear. This dialog will quickly become an annoyance if you are launching and exiting NVDA often.
Disable the dialog by doing the following:
- Launch NVDA. A “Welcome to NVDA” dialog will appear.
- In the dialog, under “Options,” uncheck “Show this dialog when NVDA starts.”
- Press the “OK” button.
4) Add Icon to Windows System Tray
Add the NVDA icon to the Windows system tray (right-hand side of the task bar) for easy access to settings and tools.
- Open the Start Menu
- Type Taskbar Settings in the Start Menu search bar and press enter. A “Taskbar Settings” window will open
- Expand the “Other system tray icons” accordion
- Locate “NVDA application” in the list and toggle it to “On”
- Close the window
5) Optimize NVDA Settings
The next few steps will be in the NVDA Settings window.
Open the Settings window by doing the following:
- In the Windows system tray, right click on the “NVDA” icon to open the context menu.
- Navigate to the Preferences menu, then select “Settings.” An “NVDA Settings” window will appear.
5.a) Disable Mouse Tracking
By default, NVDA announces whatever is located below the mouse pointer. This behavior can inadvertently affect the test results. It should be disabled to ensure that evaluators are receiving the most accurate feedback from the screen reader.
Disable mouse tracking by doing the following:
- In the NVDA Settings window, select “Mouse” in the Categories menu.
- Uncheck “Enable mouse tracking”
- Press the “Apply” button.
5.b) Disable “Show exit options when exiting NVDA”
By default, whenever NVDA is exiting, a dialog appears prompting the user about whether they want to exit. This can be cumbersome to an evaluator.
To disable this setting, do the following:
- In the NVDA Settings window, select “General” in the Categories menu.
- Uncheck “Show exit options when exiting NVDA”
- Press the “Apply” button.
5.c) Enable Visual Highlighting
NVDA can visually highlight the element it is announcing. This can help evaluators and remediators know which element the screen reader is announcing. Note that this feature can be resource intensive and might not work well on all computers.
To activate visual highlighting, do the following:
- In the NVDA Settings window, select “Vision” in the Categories menu.
- Under “Visual Highlight,” check “Enable Highlighting”
- Press the “Apply” button.
5.d) Disable Some Input Feedback
If you are a sighted, you may find the NVDA output of what you are typing distracting, especially if you are filling out the evaluation report with the screen reader on.
Do the following to disable some of this feedback:
- In the NVDA Settings window, select “Keyboard” in the Categories menu.
- Uncheck “Speak typed characters”
- Uncheck “Play sound for spelling errors when typing”
- Press the “Apply” button.
5.e) Disable “Automatic Say All on page load”
By default, NVDA will automatically start announcing the page content as soon as a new page is loaded. This is not a desirable behavior for testing because it can interfere with other page announcements that an evaluator may need to hear to determine conformance.
To turn off “Automatic Say All,” do the following:
- In the NVDA Settings window, select “Browse” in the Categories menu.
- Uncheck “Automatic Say All on page load”
- Press the “Apply” button
6) Enable Speech Viewer
Speech viewer displays the output of the screen reader in a floating window. This feature is helpful for two reasons:
- If it is included in the screenshots and videos in the evaluation report, sighted remediators can view the screen reader output.
- The evaluator can review the screen reader output after it is announced.
Turn on this feature by doing the following:
- In the Windows system tray, right click on the “NVDA” icon to open the context menu.
- Navigate to the Tools menu, then select “Speech viewer.” An “NVDA Speech Viewer” window will appear.
- In the NVDA Speech Viewer window, check “Show Speech Viewer on Startup”
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat is typically already installed on OSU managed computers. It can be installed from the software center on most university computers. If it does not appear in your software center, send a request to your local IT department to install it.
To install Acrobat from the Software Center, do the following:
- Open the Start Menu
- Type “Software Center” in the Start Menu search box
- Press Enter
- Select “Applications” in the left-hand menu
- Click on “Adobe Acrobat Pro DC” in the table (note – not “Adobe Acrobat Reader DC”)
- Click the “Install” button
PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC) 2024
PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC) 2024 can be run locally from your Windows machine and does not require installation or administrator permissions.
- Download PAC 2024 zip file
- Unzip the zip file
- Open the unzipped folder
- Double click the “PAC.exe” file
- In the Windows taskbar, right click on the PAC icon and select “Pin to Taskbar”
Browser Extensions
Some browser extensions are required to perform MDAS-M tests.
Some units do not allow employees to install browser extensions themselves. These employees should contact their local IT support for assistance. Guidance for IT support appears at the end of this section.
The required browser extensions are:
- Accessibility Insights for Web
- Web Developer
- Text Spacing Editor
- WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool
Here is how to install an extension:
- Open Google Chrome (important – the primary browser for web accessibility testing at Ohio State is Chrome on Windows. Other browsers and operating systems may be used for additional testing)
- Activate the first link in the list above to go to the installation page.
- Press the “Add to Chrome” button. A dialog will appear asking if you want to add the extension.
- Press the “Add extension” button.
Disable Telemetry after installing Accessibility Insights for Web
Telemetry should be disabled in the Accessibility Insights for Web extension after installation.
To disable telemetry in the extension, do the following:
- Press the “Accessibility Insights for Web” icon in the extensions bar. This will open a panel with the title “Accessibility Insights for Web.”
- Press the settings button (gear icon) and select “Settings” from the menu. A new window will open.
- In the new window, turn “Help improve Accessibility Insights for Web” to “Off.”
These browser extensions operate locally in the browser and do not transmit page content to a server. The Accessibility Insights for Web extension is a Microsoft product and has optional telemetry – users are instructed to turn this off in the instructions above.
The extensions require access permissions to read and change data on websites. They do not work without this permission. For additional security, the extensions can be set to only allow for the extension to access page data when the user clicks on the extension – see this browser security guidance from Google.
See Accessibility Insights for Web privacy, Web Developer privacy, and WAVE privacy. Text Spacing Editor does not have a privacy policy, however network tab inspection in developer tools shows that no data is transmitted when the extension is opened or used.
These extensions have no known accessibility issues.
Bookmarklets
Bookmarklets are small code snippets that can be activated in the browser’s bookmarks bar like any other bookmark.
The primary bookmarklet used in the MDAS-M is the Accessibility Name and Description Inspector (ANDI). Additional bookmarklets are used to evaluate other conditions, such as whether or not color is used by itself to communicate something.
To install the testing bookmarklets, do the following:
- Create a folder in your bookmarks bar named “A11y Testing”
- Go to the Accessibility Testing Tools page
- Expand the “Bookmarklets” accordion
- Click and drag each link that has the label “Bookmarklet” to the A11y Testing folder
The process for installing these using a keyboard only is much more cumbersome. If you are a keyboard user, please contact accessibility@osu.edu for assistance with installing these.
Note: Bookmarklets are slowly being blocked by more and more sites because they can be a security risk (the bookmarklets we use do not pose security risks). We are currently exploring alternative tools to replace these. If you encounter an issue using testing bookmarklets, contact accessibility@osu.edu for guidance.