a11y-manual-testing Home
An accessibility resource for manual testing, debugging, and defect remediation.
Visit the a11y-manual-testing GitHub repo for guidance on setting up a manual accessibility testing environment.
Basic Screen Reader Controls
| Keystroke | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Tab | Go to next focusable item (link, button, input, etc.) |
| Shift + Tab | Go to prior focusable item (link, button, input, etc.) |
| Enter | Activate link |
| Enter or Space | Activate button |
| Arrow keys: → ← ↑ ↓ |
Navigate within <select> lists, and some types of custom ARIA widgets, e.g. tablists, application menus, tree views, etc. (if they are coded correctly) |
| Keystroke | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Control + Alt + N | Turn NVDA on |
| Control | Stop talking |
| ↓ | Read next item |
| NVDA + ↓ | Read continuously from this point on |
| NVDA + F7 | Show list of links, headings, and landmarks |
| H | Go to next heading |
| D | Go to next landmark |
| T | Go to next table |
| Control + Alt + Arrow keys | Navigate table cells |
| NVDA + Space | Toggle between focus mode (for forms and custom ARIA/JavaScript widgets) and browse mode (for reading/navigating normally) |
| NVDA + Q | Turn NVDA off |
| Keystroke | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Control | Stop talking |
| ↓ | Read next item |
| Insert + ↓ | Read continuously from this point on |
| R | Go to next landmark (region) |
| Q | Go to the main content landmark |
| Insert + F6 | Show list of headings |
| Insert + F3 | Show list of buttons, frames, graphics, lists, links, etc. |
| H | Go to next heading |
| T | Go to next table |
| Control + Alt + Arrow keys | Navigate table cells |
| Keystroke | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Control | Stop talking |
| Control + ↓ | Read continuously from this point on |
| → | Read next item |
| D | Go to next landmark (region) |
| Caps Lock + N | Go to the main content landmark |
| Caps Lock + F6 | Show list of headings |
| H | Go to next heading |
| T | Go to next table |
| Control + Alt + Arrow keys | Navigate table cells |
| Keystroke | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Command + F8 | Turn VoiceOver on or off |
| VO + H | Open the VoiceOver Help menu |
| VO + ? | Open the VoiceOver User Guide |
| VO + A | Read continuously from this point on |
| VO + Page Down | Read next item |
| VO + Command + H | Go to next heading |
| VO + Command + T | Go to next table |
Screen Reader Documentation
Documentation for popular screen reader applications.
Windows
MacOS
- VoiceOver for use with Safari
Accessibility Extensions
In browser extensions that can be used to automatically check for accessibility issues on your pages.
Accessibility Development Learning Resources
WebAIM
WebAIM provides software tools, instructional media, research, and manages the WAVE accessibility extension.
- Introduction to Accessibility
- General Articles
- HTML Accessibility
- JavaScript Accessibility
- WebAIM Resources, Tools, & Simulators
Deque
Deque manages the axe accessibility extension and axe-core open-source accessibility testing engine, as well as providing learning resources through Deque University.
A11Y Project
The A11Y Project is a community-driven effort to make digital accessibility easier.
Top Screen Readers by Usage
| Screen Reader & Browser | # of Respondents | % of Respondents |
|---|---|---|
| JAWS with Chrome | 500 | 32.5% |
| NVDA with Chrome | 246 | 16.0% |
| JAWS with Edge | 194 | 12.6% |
| NVDA with Firefox | 149 | 9.7% |
| JAWS with Firefox | 74 | 4.8% |
| VoiceOver with Safari | 72 | 4.7% |
| NVDA with Edge | 55 | 3.6% |
| ZoomText/Fusion with Chrome | 33 | 2.1% |
| JAWS with Internet Explorer | 30 | 1.9% |
| VoiceOver with Chrome | 24 | 1.6% |
| ZoomText/Fusion with Edge | 18 | 1.2% |
| Other combinations | 144 | 9.4% |
Mobile usage
| Response | # of respondents | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch | 1083 | 71.9% |
| Android | 388 | 25.8% |
| Chrome OS | 4 | 0.3% |
| Other | 30 | 2.0% |
| Response | % of respondents |
|---|---|
| VoiceOver | 71.5% |
| TalkBack | 29.1% |
| Voice Assistant | 7.6% |
| Commentary/Jieshuo | 6.6% |
| VoiceView | 6.1% |
| Mobile Accessibility for Android | 3.4% |
| Nuance Talks | 1.0% |
| Mobile Speak | 0.5% |
| IDEAL | 0.4% |
| Other | 3.4% |
Source: WebAIM Screen Reader User Survey (as of June 2021)