Understand why automated accessibility scanners and manual tests work best together.
Understand the foundation
Automated testing is valuable for repeatable checks. It can detect some missing accessible names, contrast issues, invalid attributes, and other patterns. It cannot reliably decide whether all alt text is meaningful, whether the reading order makes sense, or whether a task is understandable.
Look at the real user experience
Manual keyboard testing helps reveal focus order, focus visibility, keyboard traps, inaccessible custom widgets, and interaction problems. It should cover menus, dialogs, tabs, forms, search, checkout, and other key tasks.
Use standards and testing thoughtfully
Assistive-technology testing can uncover issues in announcements, labels, reading order, dynamic updates, and navigation. Test representative combinations and involve disabled users where feasible, especially for complex services.
Build a repeatable process
A useful process is: automate early, manually test important journeys, record findings, prioritize by user impact and scope, fix the underlying cause, and retest. Keep evidence of the environment, steps, expected result, and actual result.
Practical next steps
Do not present a clean automated scan as proof of compliance. Explain the tools used, the scope of manual testing, limitations, and any remaining known issues.
Keep learning
Include this topic in the website's ongoing accessibility review process, verify the current official guidance, and retest important user journeys after changes.