How Our Automation Identifies and Fixes Accessibility Problems on the Web

Are you curious about the role automation plays in making the web more accessible for people with disabilities? Would you like to get a better sense of what the technology can and cannot do? If so, you’ve come to the right place. 

In this article, we'll explain what "automation" means and show you how automated tools can repair website accessibility problems that could be getting in the way of people who want to use websites like yours. Of course, because automation has its limits, we'll also give you a frank assessment of where the technology needs to improve. 

Ready to learn more? Read on. 

What Is Meant by “Automation” and “Auto Remediation”? 

 In the context of website accessibility, the terms “automation” and “auto remediation” refer to all the code built for the purpose of fixing — or remediating — website accessibility problems. We call these codes “automations” because they run without the intervention of a human being. 

The opposite of auto remediation is manual remediation. Manual remediations are fixes made by human beings. 

One of the great advantages auto remediation provides over manual remediation is speed. Auto remediation can scan large websites with thousands or even millions of attributes (headings, navigation, forms, images, buttons, etc.) and make repairs where needed in fractions of a second. Manual remediations take much, much longer. 

Eye icon, phone illustration, fix icon

Why Not Use Auto Remediations for Everything? 

Auto remediation is an essential tool in the website accessibility toolkit, but it is not the only form of remediation available. AudioEye uses three different kinds of remediation: auto, manual and guided. 

Auto remediations offer significant advantages in terms of speed and scalability, but the technology is limited. Right now, automated remediations are not capable of fixing every kind of accessibility problem. What they can fix, though, they can fix fast. In fact, auto remediations can remove millions of a website's accessibility barriers in fractions of a second. 

Manual remediations applied by human beings are thorough but time-intensive. Manual remediation are the best remediation type when people are needed to judge what is and what is not accessible on the web. Unfortunately, the strength of manual remediation is also its weakness — humans will never be as fast or efficient as machines. 

Guided remediations are a hybrid of the auto remediation and manual remediation types. They combine the speed and precision of code with human perception and judgment. Guided remediation is appealing because it does not require human operators to have expert-level knowledge or skill. 

Illustration of an online submission form

How Do Auto Remediations Work?

Auto remediations are like filters that run between a website’s source code and the browsers (like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) people use to access the site. Website source code tells browsers how to present information. If errors in that source code make using the site difficult for people with disabilities, auto remediations can find them and “filter” them out. That way, browsers only present “clean” information. 

 Unfortunately, the challenges around website accessibility are vast. At AudioEye we have invested heavily in creating the best in class automation that a recent study shows can fix up to 66% of issues found. This is a major leap forward and while advances in automation are made every day, even the most advanced automations can currently accurately fix a portion of the issues embodied in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). That’s because these automations aren’t yet capable of understanding nuance. 

AudioEye logo with squiggly lines and purple and green orbs

What’s Next for Automation and AudioEye? 

AudioEye continues to invest strongly in auto remediation. Advancing the accuracy and reach of this technology clears the way to accessibility for everyone. Leveraging automation reduces the need for custom checks and fixes, and that makes accessibility compliance more realistic and affordable for more people. 

At AudioEye, we keep chipping away at the biggest challenges in accessibility because we understand that if we can programmatically identify something wrong, we can engineer a solution in the same manner to make a fix. 

Our goal is to keep stretching the bounds of the technology. We want to reduce the need for manual attention in testing, monitoring, and fixing. And when a manual fix cannot be avoided? We want to provide no-code, guided remediation solutions so people can make the fix easily and without having to understand the technical details of the problem. 

AudioEye wants to maximize usability — for everyone. As the standards evolve, we want to continue leading that charge and doing more with automation than any other company. 

Get Lightning-fast Automated Help from AudioEye Today 

Your situation becomes much more urgent when lawyers get involved. If you are facing the threat of litigation, you’ll want to start making your website more accessible as quickly as possible. 

 AudioEye’s suite of robust automated tools can help. In moments, our comprehensive AI-powered testing will help you understand precisely where your visitors are running into trouble. You’ll also see your site’s usability improve in real time with a list of applied fixes and details of the remaining errors. 

If you want to see how AudioEye’s more than 400 AI-driven tests and more than 70 heuristic and AI-driven auto-remediations can help you improve the accessibility of your organization’s website right away, start your free 30-day trial today. 

Additional Resources 

If you’d like to learn more about automated and expert tests and remediations for website accessibility, please check out the AudioEye content below. 

• To see an example of how one large consumer electronics company used automations developed by AudioEye to reduce its legal risk and retain its ability to bid on government contracts, consult the case study Reducing ADA Compliance Risk Rapidly and Cost-Effectively. 

• Have you thought about online content that isn’t, strictly speaking, part of your website? If your site relies on PDF documents, visit Your Digital Services Are Covid-Ready, But Are PDFs Dragging Down Your Accessibility? on the AudioEye blog. 

• Finally, to see how the best of automation and manual review can work together, read this interview with an AudioEye accessibility quality assurance manager at Why Is Manual Work Important for Accessibility? Meet AudioEye’s QA Manager and AT Tester.