How to Run Accessibility Scans

Overview

This guide shows how to use the Accessibility Scanner to find and automatically fix WCAG 2.1 AA issues on your site.

Prerequisites

1. Accessibility Scanner module enabled
2. Admin access to WordPress
3. Site with pages to scan

Step 1: Access Scanner


4. Log in to WordPress admin
5. Go to SLOS → Accessibility Scanner
6. View accessibility dashboard

Step 2: Choose Scan Type


Single Page Scan


Scan one specific page:

7. Enter page URL in “Scan Single Page” field
8. Click Scan Page
9. Progress popup appears
10. Real-time fixer status shown
11. Results displayed when complete

Full Site Scan


Scan all pages on site:

12. Click Scan All Pages
13. Choose scan depth:

– Standard – Main pages
– Deep – All subpages
– Deep+ – All pages including archives

14. Choose max pages to scan (default: 100)
15. Click Start Scan
16. Background scan begins
17. Auto-refreshes with progress

Custom URL Scan


Scan specific URLs only:

18. Go to Advanced → Custom Scan
19. Enter URLs (one per line):

`
https://yoursite.com/page-1
https://yoursite.com/page-2
https://yoursite.com/about
`

20. Click Scan Selected

Step 3: Monitor Scan Progress


Progress Popup


During scan shows:

21. Overall Progress – % complete
22. Current Page – Currently scanning
23. Fixers Running – Active auto-fixers
24. Fixes Applied – Total fixes so far
25. Time Elapsed – How long running
26. Estimated Time – Time remaining

Real-Time Fixer Status


See each fixer:

27. ✓ Success – Issue detected and fixed
28. ⊗ Failed – Issue couldn’t be auto-fixed
29. ○ Skipped – Not applicable to page
30. ⟳ Running – Currently executing

Cancel Scan


Click Cancel Scan to stop:

31. Current page completes
32. Results saved so far
33. Can resume later

Step 4: Review Scan Results


Accessibility Dashboard


After scan completes:

34. Overall Score – Accessibility % (0-100%)
35. Pages Scanned – How many pages processed
36. Issues Found – Total issues detected
37. Auto-Fixed – Issues fixed automatically
38. Remaining – Manual fixes needed

Score Breakdown


See scores by category:

39. Focus & Navigation – Keyboard access
40. Vision & Color – Visual accessibility
41. Touch & Motor – Motor control
42. Language & Structure – Content structure
43. ARIA & Roles – Semantic markup
44. Forms & Input – Form accessibility
45. Media – Video, audio, images
46. Animations – Animation controls
47. Viewport – Responsive design

Page-by-Page Results


Click View Detailed Results:

| Page | Issues | Fixed | Remaining | Score |
|——|——–|——-|———–|——-|
| Homepage | 12 | 11 | 1 | 92% |
| About | 8 | 8 | 0 | 100% |
| Blog | 15 | 13 | 2 | 87% |

Issue Details


Click issue to see:

48. WCAG Criterion – Which rule violated
49. Severity – Critical, major, minor
50. Location – Which element
51. Description – What’s wrong
52. How to Fix – Manual fix guidance
53. Fixer Applied – Which auto-fixer ran
54. Status – Success or failure reason

Step 5: Apply Auto-Fixes


Auto-Fixes Already Applied


Progress popup showed fixes as they ran:

55. Real-time detection
56. Automatic application
57. No manual action needed

Re-Run Auto-Fixes


On specific page:

58. Go to page details
59. Click Re-Run Auto-Fixers
60. Selects latest applicable fixers
61. Applies updated versions
62. Shows updated results

Run Specific Fixer


Fix specific issue:

63. Click issue detail
64. Shows “Fixer Applied: [Name]”
65. Click Retry Fixer
66. Runs fixer again with updated settings
67. Shows success/failure

Step 6: Manual Fixes for Remaining Issues


Find Manual Fixes


For auto-fixable issues:

68. Issue shows Status: Failed
69. Click Learn How to Fix
70. Shows step-by-step manual fix
71. Often includes code examples

Common Manual Fixes


Add Missing Alt Text
`html





`

Fix Image Descriptions
`html





`

Add Video Captions
`html





`

Add Form Labels
`html




Email Address

`

Prioritize Fixes


Manual fixes by priority:

72. Critical – Blocks access
73. Major – Significantly reduces usability
74. Minor – Minor accessibility improvement

Step 7: Generate Report


Export Report


75. Click Export Report
76. Choose format:

– PDF – Professional report
– CSV – Spreadsheet data
– JSON – Technical data

77. File downloads
78. Share with team

PDF Report Contents


79. Executive summary
80. Overall scores
81. Issue breakdown
82. Page-by-page details
83. Fixer coverage
84. Recommendations
85. Timestamp and compliance note

Share Report


Email report to:

86. Team members
87. Client
88. Compliance officer
89. Legal team

Step 8: Schedule Regular Scans


Automatic Scanning


90. Go to Settings → Scanning Schedule
91. Enable Scheduled Scans – Toggle on
92. Choose frequency:

– Daily (recommended)
– Weekly
– Monthly
– Custom schedule

93. Choose scan time (off-peak)
94. Choose scan scope:

– Single page (homepage)
– Full site
– Custom URL list

95. Save settings

Auto-Fix on Schedule


96. Check Auto-Apply Fixers
97. Fixers run automatically
98. Results saved
99. Email notification sent
100. Dashboard updated

Notifications


Configure who gets notified:

101. Go to Settings → Notifications
102. Add email addresses
103. Choose notification types:

– Scan completed
– Issues found
– All fixes applied
– Manual review needed

104. Save settings

Step 9: Trending Over Time


Track Improvement


View accessibility trends:

105. Go to Reports → Trending
106. See accessibility score over time
107. Chart shows improvement/decline
108. Identify regression issues

Before/After


Compare specific scans:

109. Go to Reports → Compare
110. Select two scan dates
111. Shows what changed
112. New issues vs fixed issues
113. Category improvements

Step 10: Test in Browser


Manual Testing


While scanner runs automatically, also test:

114. Keyboard Navigation

– Tab through page
– Enter key on buttons
– Arrow keys in menus
– Escape closes modals

115. Screen Reader

– Use NVDA (Windows) or JAWS
– VoiceOver (Mac)
– Test page flow
– Check landmark navigation

116. Zoom & Scale

– Zoom to 200%
– Content still readable
– Layout doesn’t break
– All buttons accessible

117. Color Contrast

– Use color contrast analyzer
– Check all text on backgrounds
– Verify 4.5:1 ratio for normal text
– 3:1 for large text

Troubleshooting


Scan Won’t Start


Solutions:

118. Check module enabled
119. Verify site URL accessible
120. Check PHP timeout settings
121. Clear WordPress cache

Scan Stops Mid-Way


Solutions:

122. Increase PHP memory limit
123. Increase max execution time
124. Run partial scans
125. Check server logs

Fixers Not Applying


Solutions:

126. Refresh page
127. Clear browser cache
128. Try running again
129. Check console errors
130. Disable conflicting plugins

Inaccurate Results


Solutions:

131. JavaScript-heavy pages scan worse
132. Single Page Apps need config
133. Dynamic content may not scan
134. Run manual tests too

Best Practices


135. Scan Regularly – Weekly minimum
136. Test Manually – Scanner misses some issues
137. Document Fixes – Track manual changes
138. Team Training – Educate on accessibility
139. Prioritize Fixes – Critical first
140. Monitor Trends – Track score over time
141. Set Targets – Aim for 95%+ score
142. Celebrate Progress – Acknowledge improvements

Next Steps


143. Run first full site scan
144. Review results
145. Schedule regular scans
146. Fix high-priority issues
147. Test manually
148. Monitor over time

Related Articles


149. Understanding Scanner Reports
150. Manual Accessibility Fixes
151. WCAG Compliance Guide