Interactive Accessibility, powered by TPGi, provides a detailed manual solution to web accessibility supported and automated through the use of artificial intelligence. You can be confident that your site compliance is supported 24/7. Excellent customer service without a live chat. One unique feature is the accessibility training offered to your staff. However, keep in mind that the accessibility audit does not cover all your web pages.
Interactive Accessibility Review
Verdict
Overview
With close to two decades of experience, Interactive Accessibility is a big name brand in the accessibility world. That this web accessibility solution is based on a lot of experience is translated in all parts of the organization. The web accessibility consulting brand leans more towards the manual updates in its solution for web compliance, although it adopts a substantial dose of automation to perfect the process. Interactive Accessibility’s ultimate solution includes a three-fold process of assessment, remediation, and integration, each of which is equally important and indispensable for ongoing compliance to the WCAG requirements, ADA and Section 508 accessibility regulations. In this Interactive Accessibility review we explain all facets of their solutions. Interactive Accessibility doesn’t focus on design, but they focus on excellent implementation of web accessibility requirements. We have done a thorough research and explain all aspects of this experienced solution.
Features
Mobile Accessibility
Accessibility is not always about websites, although web accessibility is the most popular aspect of the compliance requirements. To make your approach at compliance comprehensive, there is a need to consider extending it to mobile applications as well as other digital properties. Mobile Accessibility is an interesting service you can get at Interactive Accessibility. Interactive Accessibility’s mobile strategy helps integrate requirements for mobile accessibility so that users have a great experience with your mobile apps. This process begins with an Accessibility Audit for your mobile app. Mobile accessibility audit analyzes compliance violations that are not in conformance with industry standards.
Accessibility Services
Accessibility Services at Interactive Accessibility also includes PDF accessibility for your digital materials. Beyond automated checks and Adobe Accessibility evaluation, Interactive Accessibility looks at the order of content, tag structure, images, and alternative texts, as well as appropriate tagging of form fields, links, and tables for easy navigation and to enhance reading with screen readers. In addition to this, Interactive Accessibility will advise you and your content team on remediation procedures as well as train you and your team on ways to improve pdf accessibility. If you wish, they can also help you with ongoing compliance with your documents.
Unless you have evaluated your website, it is impossible to know what is good and what is not. This is why web accessibility audit is integral to every accessibility solution be it automated, manual, or hybrid. In all cases, it is also the first step to take in any compliance strategy.
Accessibility Audit
Interactive Accessibility conducts an accessibility audit on your site to evaluate how much it supports users’ needs, primarily individuals with disabilities in line with the WCAG 2.0, Section 508, ADA requirements. Its expert team combs through your website to check for gaps in your site’s accessibility. In the case of large websites, you get to choose pages that should be prioritized in the evaluation process. The audit process combines manual checks and testing with assistive technologies such as ZoomText, Jaws, etc., to check contrast and navigation.
Deliverables from a website audit include an in-depth page-level analysis of your website to identify compliance violations. Additionally, an evaluation audit reveals the current level of compliance. Furthermore, part of what comes with an accessibility audit is recommended solutions to issues detected on the website or web application. Last but not least, Interactive Accessibility provides a course-of-progress chart that prioritizes portions of the website that need remediation and an estimated path to achieve that. After your internal team implements these recommendations, Interactive Accessibility conducts another check to ensure that site has been retrofitted to meet industry guidelines.
Just as you know, accessibility does not always equal usability. Technically, a website or digital property (web and mobile apps inclusive) might be accessible but unusable, especially for individuals employing assistive technology. This is why Interactive Accessibility carries out usability testing to measure the level of ease with which users can execute common functions on your website. Doing this comes with loads of benefits: improved service and user experience, customer satisfaction maximization, and better brand recognition.
Transparency
Perhaps one cardinal factor that distinguishes Interactive Accessibility from other brands is its transparency and clear communication of procedures. You will always find all its services explained virtually. To this end, Interactive Accessibility develops a usability testing plan that details the whole testing process. The usability testing plan is done in collaboration with your internal team. As a matter of fact, inputs from your team are essential to the process, so your organization forms the backbone. Sequel to this, the team recruits individuals with varying disabilities to conduct the litmus test. Individuals who are motor-impaired, blind, deaf, or have certain cognitive and learning disabilities, form the testing protocol so that each product can be fully tested for suitability to all of these categories of disability.
To ensure that the testing protocol is accurate, a trial test is carried out through which potential issues are resolved. Following this, Interactive Accessibility conducts the usability testing properly then makes recommendations based on the result. In terms of usability testing reports, Interactive Accessibility is arguably unparalleled.
It is important to know that Interactive appreciates sequences in the procedure. As a result, they advise conducting an accessibility audit and fixing existing accessibility issues before moving on to usability testing. This style is not only effective but also cost-saving.
Accessibility Statement
As in other web accessibility solutions, the Accessibility Statement is a document that succinctly explains the level of compliance to the WCAG and Section 508 standards which Interactive Accessibility issues to its client after due process of auditing and remediation have been completed. The accessibility statement at Interactive Accessibility summarizes the process and content of your website’s accessibility effort: a list of pages and sections of the website that have been duly accessed alongside the date of assessment. Mind you, Interactive Accessibility, in most cases, does not conduct a web audit that encompasses every single page on your website. Instead, it carries out its audit based on representative samples and by selecting random web pages to review. For this reason, the accessibility statement would not provide a guarantee of compliance but, rather, a reasonable level of confidence that your website conforms to industry standards.
The WCAG 2.0 Conformance Claim is a complemental accessibility document that Interactive Accessibility also issues to its clients to show claims that certain specified pages of their website meet the criteria success of the WCAG 2.0 at the A, AA, or AAA compliance levels. Remember that Interactive Accessibility does not conduct an all-around review of your website pages, hence, the conformance claim does not cover the entirety of your site. Should you wish to make an absolute compliance claim, however, you would have to subscribe to comprehensive accessibility that includes every page on your website or every page you want to be certified for the success criteria. While this is a more comprehensive approach, have it in mind that it comes at an expensive fee. With Interactive Accessibility, the accessibility statement is updated at least once a year or each time you have a new product.
Accessibility Training
You and your team can get bespoke Accessibility Training from Interactive Accessibility’s expert team of trainers. Training is delivered online (via webinars) and on-site. Some of the topics covered in the training are designed to give your team a strong background in accessibility guidelines and regulations as well as empower you to implement accessibility by yourself. They include WCAG 2.0 guidelines, Section 508, accessibility for HTML and Agile Development, Mobile and Software accessibility, as well as accessibility for pdf and Microsoft documents.
Pricing
Accessibility Services at Interactive Accessibility are customized to business needs. Unlike a host of other brands like EqualWeb, HikeOrders, and Max Access, which have their services readily billed, the reverse is the case with Interactive Accessibility. You will have to request a quote for your needs.
Customer Support
Customer support at Interactive Accessibility is highly encouraging. Interactive Accessibility’s modest but efficient team is always on the ground to provide clear information and feedback to you and your team. Moreover, every step taken in your compliance journey is done with your team inclusive.
Pros
- Comprehensive manual approach to accessibility
- Complementary automated solution
- Plans and policies for ongoing compliance
- Accessibility training customized to your team's need
Cons
- Accessibility audit does not cover all web page
- Conformance statement does not apply to all pages except ones under claim
- No live chat
Interactive Accessibility is notable for its full cooperation with users to achieve compliance in their digital property. In addition to evaluation and remediation, the accessibility consulting brand designs an integration plan to incorporate accessibility into your business to ensure continuous compliance and reduce legal risk. Despite these positive features, Interactive Accessibility’s compliance policy may leave you vulnerable to potential lawsuits. Instead of reviewing every unique page to deliver a thorough complaint website, Interactive Accessibility conducts web audits and certifies for compliance based on a random sample and representative pages. While random sampling might be a good idea in standard academic research, it violates the spirit of compliance claim that all web pages have been reviewed and remediated according to given standards. The implication of this system is that your website can only confidently claim compliance for the selected pages which presumably represent the rest of the pages on your site.