AI Accessibility (A11y) Audits

Overview Web Accessibility ensures websites are usable by people with disabilities (Screen readers, keyboard navigation). AI tools can scan code or UI screenshots to detect violations of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

What AI Can Detect

1. Visual Issues (Computer Vision)

• Contrast: "Text color #CCC on white background is too hard to read."
• Focus Order: "The tab order jumps randomly."
• Target Size: "Button is too small for touch users."

2. Code Issues (Static Analysis)

• Alt Text: "Image missing alt attribute." AI can even generate descriptive alt text.
• ARIA Labels: "Icon button needs aria-label."
• Semantics: "Using div instead of button."

Tools

• AccessiBe / UserWay: AI overlays that try to fix sites dynamically (Controversial).
• Lighthouse: Google's built-in audit tool (Automated checks).
• GitHub Copilot: "Fix the accessibility issues in this React component."

Limitations AI can catch ~40-50% of issues (mostly syntax). It cannot catch usability issues:

• "does this navigation menu make sense?"
• "Is the alt text 'Image 123' helpful?" (No).

Manual testing with a real screen reader (NVDA/VoiceOver) is still required for compliance.