Access Continuum is a suite of tools to support accessible development, allowing
developers to integrate accessibility testing earlier in their software
development lifecycle. With Access Continuum, you can proactively run tests
for accessibility issues along with your standard automated checks for other bugs
and errors, all in the same place. This results in a more cost-effective
approach that catches common issues early on and prevents unnecessary
bottlenecks or particularly time consuming retrofit projects. As commonly
accepted, finding and addressing bugs or errors earlier on in the process results in
better overall code quality and a more efficient and faster development process.
Many organizations set up their DevOps to compile code branches into a single
build with regular merges and run automated tests at check-in, and on
those regular builds they are able to get immediate validation for many common
bugs and issues. Process is often put into place to require teams to fix
broken builds immediately, and the requirement to fix critical
accessibility defects can be included in the process. Access Continuum is a suite
of tools and SDKs to integrate accessibility testing into your CI/CD
practices. By converting our test engine into an injectable format, Access
Continuum is agnostic to whatever JavaScript or Java framework you are
using. This provides a versatile way to test for accessibility throughout
development and commonly works with tools that manipulate a browser directly,
like Karma. Our toolkits can simply take advantage of automated
testing frameworks and scripts you've already written, so you can quickly get
started with your current systems. If your organization practices
Continuous Integration or utilizes automated testing frameworks for your
development process then we likely have a way to integrate our testing engine.
Development kits offer an efficiently layered approach to testing that creates
more inherently accessible systems. Teams can specify different levels of testing
at each stage of the SDLC. For example, this could be testing for issues with
the highest severity a check-in, and then a wider check at build compilation, then
full testing at QA stages. We support BDD testing frameworks, unit testing
frameworks, functional testing frameworks, and more. With Access Continuum you can
locally test for critical accessibility issues before each check-in and fail the
build if any are found, and send data to AMP to report on the accessibility of
your assets during the development and QA process. Access Continuum provides a
number of methods that can be used to test developmental artifacts, from a
node, or component, to complete pages for accessibility within existing
development processes. Test results in Continuum provide the most information
possible, including access to our best practices library so developers know
exactly what to fix, and how. Access Continuum SDKs tie into your existing
test harness or tools that actually drive the web page to select buttons or
other test actions you've already set up. So, your tool stack provides Access
Continuum the browser instance or automation and uses all the automated
tests you've already written. Then you can slide accessibility testing into
that existing framework so you can quickly get started with your current
tooling. The SDKs include tools, libraries, documentation with descriptions of
technology, prerequisites, installation and usage instructions, and sample code
that would help a developer or QA automation engineer develop
accessibility test harnesses. Everything you need is included in a single easy-to-install
package. We integrate with popular testing frameworks and tools
like Jasmine, Karma, Cucumber, Selenium, TestNG on Sauce Labs, Appium for mobile,
and more. Don't see your tool set on this list? Use Access Continuum to build an
integration customized to your unique environment.
To recap, Access Continuum helps your organization prevent the most critical
violations before you release. By embedding accessibility testing in the
best practices across your software development lifecycle, fewer issues will
slip into the production which will save you time and resources, and improve your
overall compliance levels. These robust accessibility tests come via Access
Engine, the best accessibility test engine on the market, and you can use
Access Continuum with AMP, Level Access's platform, to ensure consistency across
all phases of design, development and post-release monitoring. Detailed
documentation makes it easy for developers and automation engineers to
quickly build out and maintain an accessible test suite.