Run a practical accessibility review of a static HTML artifact

Define the scope before checking

Identify the exact file revision, intended readers, and environments included in the review. A local browser preview and an iPhone reading app can expose different issues. Record the settings used, including text enlargement, appearance, and whether scripts or remote resources were available. This makes later results comparable instead of relying on a vague statement that the page looked fine.

Choose representative content: the longest heading, a dense table, a code sample, an important image, and a section with navigation or disclosure controls. If the document has several distinct templates, inspect each one. Sampling only the introduction can miss failures that occur in complex content near the end.

Combine complementary checks

Inspect the heading outline and landmarks, then check link labels and image alternatives. Review enlarged text, narrow layout, contrast, and visible focus. Navigate controls using a keyboard-capable environment and inspect a meaningful portion with a screen reader when possible. Each method reveals different problems; none can stand in for all the others.

Automated tools can help identify missing attributes and some structural or contrast issues, but their findings need interpretation. A nonempty alternative text can still be useless, and a correctly marked table can still be too complex to understand. Treat the report's actual communication as part of the review, not merely its markup.

Publish an honest result

Summarize findings by impact and provide a concrete repair for each. For example, a warning clipped at enlarged text is more actionable than a general claim that the layout needs accessibility work. Distinguish observed failures from untested areas. Do not label the artifact fully compliant unless you have performed the evaluation needed to support that claim.

1. Record the artifact revision and test environments.
2. Check headings, landmarks, links, and image alternatives.
3. Inspect enlarged text, reflow, spacing, and both appearances.
4. Verify keyboard focus and meaningful navigation order.
5. Review essential content without scripts or remote resources.
6. List unresolved issues with locations and reader impact.
7. Repeat affected checks after corrections, and retain the review notes with the document's maintenance process.

Read next

• Build a heading outline that makes a long report navigable
• Use landmarks to separate navigation from the report body
• Write screenshot alternatives that explain the useful information
• Describe architecture diagrams as relationships, not shapes

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