Checking the accessibility of an application in the GUI Accessibility mode

The GUI Accessibility mode can check the accessibility of any Windows® application running on the computer. It can also check the accessibility of ActiveX controls embedded in a webpage, such as Flash ActiveX controls.

The following steps will check the accessibility of an application using the GUI Accessibility mode:

1. Switch to GUI Accessibility mode:
   1. Select the File > Switch Modes... menu to open the Select a mode dialog.
   2. Select the GUI Accessibility mode, and click the OK button.
2. Select a webpage or an application window to check its accessibility:
   Select a target for checking by using the Target Window menu.
   • Select an external browser window in the External Browsers submenu to check the accessibility of a webpage.
   • Select an external application window in the External Windows submenu to check the accessibility of a Windows® application.
3. The accessibility check starts immediately, and may take a few moments to be completed.
4. Analyzing the results of the automated accessibility check:
   The GUI Report view shows the accessibility problems. Please refer to Problems reported in the GUI Accessibility mode.
   • To change the type of problems reported (Error, Warning, or Information), use the View menu(Ctrl+F10) to change the display settings. The results displayed will change immediately.
   • When a line of the report is selected, the area with the problem is highlighted on the screen, and the object icon in the GUI Outline view is also selected. The cause of the problem can then be verified.
5. Accessibility verification with manual inspection:
   First, the contents of the GUI Summary view and the screen of the application can be compared to verify that the important information on the application screen is available as appropriate text information. If the text information is missing or inappropriate, then using the application operation with a screen reader will be difficult.
   Next, the order of the text shown in the GUI Summary view should be checked to make sure it is appropriate. The order of the text in this view corresponds to the reading order with a screen reader.
   • Use the Refresh function when the application screen changes due to scrolling or some other operation.
   • Set Show Off-Screen Items on to show off-screen object information.
   • If necessary, use the Read Entire Text function to check the listenability using synthetic speech.
   • If additional diagnostic support is necessary, please refer to the GUI Outline view or the GUI Property view to analyze the cause of problem.
6. After fixing the accessibility problems the previous steps can be repeated to check the accessibility improvements.

Problems reported in the GUI Accessibility mode

The GUI Report view shows the accessibility problems found in the target application. The problems are categorized into Error, Warning, and Information. The severity of each problem is uniquely defined based on how a blind person would use a screen reader.

Error: Serious problems

• No ALT text for button:
  Alternative text is not available for the button's meaning or action
• No ALT text for form control:
  Alternative text is not available for the form input control, such as specifying a combo-box
• No text for hyperlink:
  Text is not available for a link to another page or object
• No ALT text for clickable item:
  Alternative text is not available for some other clickable object

Warning: Less serious problems

• No ALT text for graphic:
  Alternative text is not available for a non-clickable image object
• No ALT text for non-clickable item:
  Alternative text is not available for some other non-clickable object
• No title for frame:
  Text is not available for the title of a frame

Information: For information only

• No caption for table:
  Caption text is not available for a table

Related topics

• Exploring the GUI Accessibility mode

Go to Index

Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, and the Windows logo are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.