Making the web inclusive requires serious attention to ensure accessibility is considered and validated at all stages of software delivery. Many of the popular accessibility testing tools are designed for testing after a web application is complete; as a result, issues are detected late and often are harder to fix, accumulating as debt. In our recent internal work on ThoughtWorks websites, we included the open-source accessibility (a11y) testing engine axe-core as part of our build processes. It provided team members with early feedback on adherence to accessibility rules, even during early increments. Not every issue can be found through automated inspection, though. Extending the functionality of axe-core is the commercially available axe DevTools, including functionality that guides team members through exploratory testing for a majority of accessibility issues.
