--- title: The Increased Demand for User Testing from the Disability Community description: Most accessibility evaluation tools available to companies seeking conformance with WCAG 2.0 and 2.1 fall short. That's why user testing is so important. . image: https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/GettyImages-1041921962.jpg --- - [skip to menu](https://blog.usablenet.com/the-increased-demand-for-user-testing-from-the-disability-community#nav) - [skip to content](https://blog.usablenet.com/the-increased-demand-for-user-testing-from-the-disability-community#main-content) - [skip to footer](https://blog.usablenet.com/the-increased-demand-for-user-testing-from-the-disability-community#footer) Test the accessibility of your website for free! Try UsableNet AQA. 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[Take our Quiz](https://info.usablenet.com/website-accessibility-remediation-quiz) - Resources ## Resources [E-books & Guides](https://usablenet.com/resources?contentType=E-books%20and%20Guides) [Case Studies](https://usablenet.com/resources?contentType=Case%20Studies) [Reports](https://usablenet.com/resources?contentType=Reports) [Webinars](https://usablenet.com/resources?contentType=Webinars) [Tools](https://usablenet.com/resources?contentType=Tools) [All Resources](https://usablenet.com/resources) ## Essential Resources [ADA accessibility lawsuit tracker](https://info.usablenet.com/ada-website-compliance-lawsuit-tracker?__hstc=181257784.2243d86205d8f41e204908d6f6578263.1725908600455.1736198093211.1736205902814.174&__hssc=181257784.1.1736205902814&__hsfp=3011104808) [Checklist: how to achieve and maintain digital accessibility](https://info.usablenet.com/digital-website-accessibility-checklist?__hstc=181257784.2243d86205d8f41e204908d6f6578263.1725908600455.1736198093211.1736205902814.174&__hssc=181257784.1.1736205902814&__hsfp=3011104808) [Which remediation approach is right for me?](https://info.usablenet.com/website-accessibility-remediation-quiz?__hstc=181257784.2243d86205d8f41e204908d6f6578263.1725908600455.1736198093211.1736205902814.174&__hssc=181257784.1.1736205902814&__hsfp=3011104808) [A Primer on ADA and Digital Accessibility](https://info.usablenet.com/a-primer-on-ada-and-digital-accessibility?__hstc=181257784.2243d86205d8f41e204908d6f6578263.1725908600455.1736198093211.1736205902814.174&__hssc=181257784.1.1736205902814&__hsfp=3011104808) The EAA is in Effect — Is Your Website Compliant? [Get Help with EN 301 549 Compliance](https://info.usablenet.com/eaa-en-301-549-compliance?__hstc=181257784.2243d86205d8f41e204908d6f6578263.1725908600455.1736198093211.1736205902814.174&__hssc=181257784.1.1736205902814&__hsfp=3011104808) - Who We Serve ## Industry [E-commerce and Consumer Goods](https://info.usablenet.com/industries-e-commerce-consumer-goods) [Food Service and Hospitality](https://info.usablenet.com/-industries-food-service-hospitality) [Banking and Financial Services](https://info.usablenet.com/industries-financial-services) [Healthcare](https://info.usablenet.com/industries-healthcare) [Technology and Business Services](https://info.usablenet.com/-industries-technology-and-business-services) [Public Sector and Education](https://info.usablenet.com/industries-public-sector-and-education) ## Compliance [Canadian Accessibility Laws](https://info.usablenet.com/compliance-canada) [European Accessibility Laws](https://info.usablenet.com/compliance-europe) [Other International Accessibility](https://info.usablenet.com/compliance-international) [United States Accessibility Laws](https://info.usablenet.com/compliance-united-states) 2026 Midyear report on digital accessibility lawsuits in the US [Download Now](https://info.usablenet.com/2026-midyear-report) - [Pricing](https://usablenet.com/pricing) - [Blog](https://blog.usablenet.com/) - [About Us](https://usablenet.com/about-us) [Get a Demo](https://info.usablenet.com/contact) # The Increased Demand for User Testing from the Disability Community **By** [UsableNet](https://blog.usablenet.com/author/usablenet-1) on Mar 28, 2019 **Topics:** [QA Testing](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/qa-testing) 0 Comments - - - ![Website user conducting accessibility testing](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/GettyImages-1041921962.jpg) With the wide variety of automated accessibility evaluation tools available to companies looking to conform to WCAG 2.0 and 2.1, why also implement user testing? Quite simply, these tools fall short. As companies across the globe come to this realization, the demand for user testing performed by people with disabilities is on the rise. Now is the time to take advantage of this groundswell of interest. ## **Limited Success Criteria** [WCAG 2.0 and 2.1](https://blog.usablenet.com/new-web-content-accessibility-guidelines-wcag-2.1-what-when-how) establish guidelines and suggest techniques to test your site against multiple success criteria at each level of conformance—A, AA, or AAA. An automated test can be used for only a small number of these criteria; the majority, therefore, require a manual review. The combined power of automated testing and manual screen reader verification will give your site a new level of accessibility and increase your company's engagement with audiences who rely on assistive technology for their online experience. ## **Demand for User Testing on the Rise** A major force behind this rise in demand relates to the [outpouring of legal action](https://blog.usablenet.com/ada-web-accessibility-lawsuit-report-infographic) against large and small companies over the accessibility of their online platforms. Any settlements made in these lawsuits have stipulated that the companies involved perform user-based testing with the disability community. Even if this weren’t a legal requirement, it presents a perfect opportunity to further engage with a key portion of your customer base, one that can be an invaluable partner in maintaining your site’s accessibility, avoiding future legal trouble, and [securing loyalty](https://www.air.org/system/files/downloads/report/Hidden-Market-Spending-Power-of-People-with-Disabilities-April-2018.pdf). Also, it just makes business sense. Launching your accessible site without testing performed by users of assistive technology is no different than launching the mobile version of your site without a single person looking at it on their smartphone or tablet. ## **Get Involved** There are several organizations that make it easy for members of the disability community to become freelance user testers, an entry point into the "gig economy.” - [Access Works](https://access-works.com/), which connects businesses to users with disabilities through usability and accessibility testing - [The World Institute on Disability](https://wid.org/), a nonprofit whose accessible technology consulting and user testing practices have served small startups and *Fortune* 500 companies in a wide range of industries, including finance, telecommunications, and information development and technology - [National Federation of the Blind](https://nfb.org/), whose Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Access provides expertise that “enables businesses, government, and educational institutions to more effectively provide accessible information and services to the blind community” - [LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired](http://lighthouse-sf.org/), which offers “blind and visually impaired user testers of all backgrounds and levels of vision” ## **Integrate Testing into Your Results** Once user testing is complete, developers then take on the work of remediation. Locating each issue quickly can be a challenge, as there are multiple user testers, each with their own areas of concern that came up during their own path through the site. A tool that displays issues [side by side with your site’s code](https://usablenet.com/technology/aqa) is essential to a speedy, accurate remediation process. ## **Streamline Testing, Improve Accessibility** While most companies would recognize that accessibility is essential to their success, testing can appear to be cost-prohibitive for some, particularly those that regularly update their site’s content and functionality. With every new release comes a new round of testing. An accessibility platform such as UsableNet AQA can help efficiently streamline this process and reduce costs. [Learn more](https://usablenet.com/services) about this and other web accessibility solutions. Want to learn more about incorporating a user-testing strategy into your accessibility? Register for our webinar "[How to set up user testing as part of accessibility program](https://info.usablenet.com/webinar-how-to-set-up-user-testing-as-part-of-accessibility-program)" [![Join us August 24 2022 at 12 pm ET for our webinar "How to set up user testing as part of accessibility" with Knowibility's Erica Braverman, Helen Keller Services' Joe DiNero, and UsableNet's Jason Taylor](https://blog.usablenet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Knowibility%20Webinar-1.png?width=1201&name=Knowibility%20Webinar-1.png)](https://info.usablenet.com/webinar-how-to-set-up-user-testing-as-part-of-accessibility-program)   ![UsableNet](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/UsableNet%20Logo%20150%20x%20150.png) ### [UsableNet](https://blog.usablenet.com/author/usablenet-1) Founded in 2000, UsableNet created some of the first tools and platforms to make websites accessible and usable for all people. Starting out, we worked with government agencies as well as universities and corporations. 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We provide accessibility solutions to Fortune 1000 companies, small and medium enterprises, government, and education organizations across industries including retail, travel, hospitality, food services, automotive, financial services, and healthcare. - - - - ### Related posts ![What is Manual WCAG Website Accessibility Testing?(And Why It Matters)](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Manual-Testing.webp) [What is Manual WCAG Website Accessibility Testing?(And Why It Matters)](https://blog.usablenet.com/quick-guide-to-manual-accessibility-testing-and-why-its-important) Apr 4, 2024 ![2016 Holiday Shopping Weekend's Successes and Failures \[Blog\]](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/281.jpg) [2016 Holiday Shopping Weekend's Successes and Failures \[Blog\]](https://blog.usablenet.com/2016-holiday-shopping-weekends-successes-and-failures) Dec 13, 2016 ![UX Plus QA Equals Success \[Blog\]](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/QA.jpg) [UX Plus QA Equals Success \[Blog\]](https://blog.usablenet.com/ux-plus-qa-success) Apr 25, 2016 ![How to Ask for Performance as a Requirement \[Blog\]](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Performance.jpg) [How to Ask for Performance as a Requirement \[Blog\]](https://blog.usablenet.com/how-to-ask-for-performance-as-a-requirement) Jan 30, 2015 ### Sign Up for the UsableNet Blog ### Recent Posts ![feature image](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/shutterstock_1738799804-2.jpg) [Airline Web Accessibility: Filters That Break for Screen Reader Users](https://blog.usablenet.com/airline-web-accessibility-filters-that-break-for-screen-reader-users) Jul 28, 2026 ![feature image](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/shutterstock_1738799804-2.jpg) [Airline Website Accessibility: Flight Search Fields That Fail Screen Reader Users](https://blog.usablenet.com/airline-website-accessibility-flight-search-fields-that-fail-screen-reader-users) Jul 21, 2026 ![feature image](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Beachside-min.jpg) [Hotel Website Accessibility: Check-in, Messaging, and In-Stay Barriers for Blind Guests](https://blog.usablenet.com/hotel-website-accessibility-check-in-and-in-stay-barriers-for-blind-guests) Jul 15, 2026 ### Posts by Topic - [Web Accessibility (313)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/web-accessibility) - [User Experience (113)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/user-experience) - [ADA Lawsuits (45)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/ada-lawsuits) - [ADA Website Compliance (38)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/ada-website-compliance) - [European Accessibility Act (34)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/european-accessibility-act) - [Mobile Web (30)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/mobile-web) - [Mobile Apps (27)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/mobile-apps) - [Retail (27)](https://blog.usablenet.com/topic/retail) ![](https://blog.usablenet.com/hubfs/Consultation%20Icon.svg) Need to improve digital usability, accessibility or performance? 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