Blog

Digital accessibility is first measured with dedicated tools (axe-core, Lighthouse, Pa11y) that inspect the DOM and ARIA roles. But a significant portion of WCAG accessibility rules can also be verified visually: text/background contrast ratio meeting AA standards, focus visible sufficiently apparent for keyboard users, touch target sizes reaching 44 pixels, visual hierarchy that mirrors the semantic hierarchy. Visual testing is not a substitute for an accessibility audit, but it is a natural and often overlooked complement.

The articles on this page explore that intersection: how to detect a contrast regression introduced by a palette redesign, how to verify that the focus state hasn't disappeared after a CSS update, how to systematically test dark mode and alternative themes through the accessibility lens, how to combine an axe-core linter in CI with a visual test dedicated to interactive states. We also address the honest limits — a visual test won't tell you whether an aria-label is poorly written, or whether a screen reader correctly interprets the structure — but it effectively catches the class of bugs where the code remains valid while the rendering becomes unusable. A complementary approach, not a competitor, to specialized accessibility tools.