Missouri Assistive Technology (MoAT): ICT Accessibility Testing Series and Toolkit

I want to highlight the exceptional work of the Missouri AT Act Program in completing the ICT Accessibility Toolkit and Training Series. This impressive collaboration with state agencies has resulted in a valuable resource that can benefit other AT Act Programs nationwide. The series demonstrates how individuals who design, build, or maintain websites can use assistive technology (AT) to manually test their work for accessibility. The toolkit and accompanying training offer practical, hands-on resources that will enhance web accessibility and ensure a more inclusive digital environment for all users.

Project Overview and Process
The Missouri AT Act Program began this project by creating a User Guide for each device in the ICT Testing Kit. Next, an app developer collaborated with the program to design a set of pages on the Missouri AT website to demonstrate before-and-after examples of accessibility lessons. These pages serve as practical tools for illustrating key accessibility concepts.

Following this, a comprehensive video series was developed to ensure recordings were available in advance of live demonstrations. Once the series was complete, the Missouri AT Act Program presented the ICT Testing Kits to state agency web developers and website maintainers interested in borrowing the devices.

The live demonstrations provided participants with the opportunity to try out the devices, ask questions, and attend a presentation on using AT for manual web accessibility testing. Participants also received an accessibility checklist and practical tips on how each device could assist with testing.

The user guides and accessibility checklist are available on the WCAG Guidance page, alongside:

·        Inaccessible educational page

·        Accessible educational page

What’s included in the ICT Testing Kit:

1. HP laptop with charger, preloaded with: Dragon Professional, ZoomText, Soft Type Onscreen Keyboard, NVDA, MS Office, and HelperBird Browser Extension
2. iPad
3. Jelly Bean Switch
4. Headset
5. HeadMouse Nano
6. Prepaid return shipping label

Why use this toolkit for accessibility testing?

• Automated testing tools catch around 30-50% of errors. Manual testing ensures compliance by simulating real user experiences.
• Gain firsthand insights into how users with disabilities interact with your website or application.
• Better understand how your product integrates with various assistive technologies.
• Identify opportunities to enhance user experience and improve accessibility.

This unique series was recorded, and the complete playlist is available on the ICT Web Accessibility Testing PlayList.

Contact Information
For more information about the ICT Series, Testing Kit, or live demonstrations, please contact Brenda Whitlock (BWhitlock@mo-at.org) or David Baker, Director (DBaker@mo-at.org) .