ANDI from SSA

Testing Accessibility Compliance with ANDI

Introduction

Accessible Name and Description Inspector (ANDI) is a free browser extension developed by the Social Security Administration (SSA). ANDI allows you to assess and improve your website’s accessibility. In this article, we will explore how you can effectively use ANDI to meet accessibility standards.

Accessing ANDI

To get started with ANDI, you can install the extension in your preferred browser from the official ANDI site. Once installed, ANDI becomes readily available as a toolbar icon, ready for use on any webpage.

Understanding ANDI

ANDI is available for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. It is designed to help you evaluate the accessibility of web elements and assess how screen readers interpret the content. ANDI assists in identifying potential issues related to alternative text for images, ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes, and other accessibility features.

  • Examining Alternative Text for Images - A significant aspect of web accessibility is providing alternative text for images. With ANDI, you can easily examine the alt attributes of images on your website. It allows you to ensure that every image is equipped with descriptive and meaningful alternative text, enabling users with visual impairments to comprehend the content conveyed by images.

  • Validating ARIA Attributes - ARIA attributes play a vital role in enhancing the accessibility of complex web elements. ANDI allows you to validate ARIA attributes present on your website, ensuring they are correctly implemented and do not contradict the native semantics of the page. This helps screen readers and other assistive technologies better interpret and navigate through web content.

  • Assessing Headings and Semantic Structure - Clear and properly structured headings are essential for facilitating navigation and understanding the content hierarchy. ANDI enables you to assess the hierarchical structure of headings, ensuring they are logically ordered and follow best practices in web development.

  • Testing Color Contrast - Ensuring sufficient color contrast is crucial for users with visual impairments or color vision deficiencies. ANDI can assist you in testing the color contrast of text against its background, ensuring that it meets accessibility standards and remains legible for all users.

  • Evaluating Focus Indicators - Keyboard navigation is vital for users who rely on assistive technologies or have motor disabilities. ANDI helps you evaluate focus indicators and ensures that interactive elements have clear and visible focus styles to facilitate keyboard navigation.

  • Analyzing Form Elements - Forms are common components of websites, and ANDI can help you to the accessibility of form elements. It ensures that each form field is appropriately labeled, associated with the correct input, and provides informative error messages for users who encounter difficulties while filling them out.

Conclusion

By leveraging tools like ANDI, you can proactively identify and address accessibility issues on your website. ANDI empowers you to ensure that your content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for all users, regardless of disabilities or impairments. Implementing ANDI’s recommendations not only helps you comply with accessibility standards but also demonstrates your commitment to creating an inclusive online environment that welcomes all users with open arms.



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Last modified August 3, 2023 by Scott C Wilson (a0a04d01).