WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: [EXTERNAL] Automated Tool Counter-Citations

for

From: Tim Harshbarger
Date: Jun 12, 2018 12:15PM

I would suggest looking at the most recent blog entry for Karl Groves' site: http://www.karlgroves.com/blog/

I think the best way to help people understand the issue might be by explaining to them some of the success criteria and other accessibility issues that need to be considered in testing. Just like Karl does in his article.

I suspect there is also another reason why we likely will never be able to automate testing for accessibility. Accessibility testing involves testing the human-computer interactions. While we can predict what the computer does, we still can't fully predict how humans will think about or do things and a big part of accessibility involves communicating with people in a way they can perceive and understand as well as making it possible for them to interact with the interface in a way that is meaningful and possible for them. It is difficult to write automated tests when some of the variables are unpredictable or not completely known.

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf Of Peter Shikli
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2018 9:45 AM
To: WebAIM Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Subject: [EXTERNAL] [WebAIM] Automated Tool Counter-Citations

We're seeing more RFPs from organizations looking to buy automated
software tools to make their websites accessible.  We have our speech
about how empowering a trained human analyst with tools is better than
hoping an autopilot approach will work, though we agree that is better
than nothing.  We use logic, examples, and such, but we lack
authoritative citations, that is, references to standards (WCAG et al),
legal case conclusions, official W3 statements, or even quotes from well
known experts in our field to support the position that a totally
automated solution is not the best way to go.

Does anyone out there know of such citations?

Cheers,
Peter Shikli
Access2online
A Division of Bizware Online Applications, Inc.
29030 SW Town Center Loop East
Suite 202-187
Wilsonville, OR 97070
503-570-6831 - <EMAIL REMOVED>
Cell: 949-677-3705
FAX: 503-582-8337
www.access2online.com
Prison inmates helping websites become accessible