Skip to secondary navigation Skip to main content

Incorporating ICT Accessibility Testing into the Development Process

Incorporating information and communication technology (ICT) accessibility at every stage of development — from requirements gathering to release and ongoing maintenance — helps avoid costly retrofits and compliance defects. The table below aligns key development lifecycle phases to their corresponding test plans and accessibility testing activities.

Using this systematic approach ensures that accessibility is built into the product from the ground up and consistently validated through appropriate testing strategies.

Lifecycle Phase Typical Test Plans ICT Accessibility Testing Activities
1. Plan Master Test Plan
  • Include Section 508 standards and ICT accessibility testing in the master test plan.
  • Plan for testing with assistive technology.
  • Plan for testing in different environments, if applicable.
  • Establish a test-driven development (TDD) strategy that specifies which ICT accessibility checks must be automated tests or unit tests before feature implementation.
  • Define a baseline set of accessibility assertions, such as semantic HTML, structure, or ARIA usage, that developers must test against.
2. Gather requirement System Test Plan
  • Include ICT accessibility in acceptance criteria and definition of done (DoD).
  • Identify high-risk areas or critical user paths early to prioritize testing efforts.
  • Add accessibility-focused acceptance criteria written explicitly as testable conditions.
3. Design
  • Agile or Sprint Test Plan
  • Non-Functional Test Plan
  • Require accessibility criteria in design reviews to translate directly into test scripts or test case templates used during development.
  • Evaluate design mockups and prototypes for color contrast and color usage; consider other Section 508 standards as applicable.
  • Use contrast testing tools to validate Section 508 conformance.
4. Design
  • Integration Test Plan
  • Unit Test Plan
  • Integrate accessibility testing into the development environment.
  • Test for Section 508 conformance using manual and automated tools.
  • Incorporate component-level accessibility tests in the Continuous Integration pipeline.
  • Conduct a smoke test early in the process to identify ICT accessibility defects. This should cover critical user paths, such as the login process.
  • Write unit tests to check for accessible code including HTML and ARIA.
  • Use accessibility linters.
  • Make accessibility checks a blocking condition for merging code.
  • Add incremental accessibility test thresholds to prevent regressions such as no increase in critical violations.
5. Testing
  • Agile or Sprint Test Plan
  • Non-Functional Test Plan
  • Regression Test Plan
  • System Test Plan
  • UAT Test Plan
6. Deploy Release Test Plan
  • Complete comprehensive Section 508 conformance testing using automated and manual testing and block releases if critical test failures occur.
  • Complete an accessibility test report and other deliverables as required per plan
  • Prioritize critical ICT accessibility defects for resolution before deployment.
7. Operate and Maintain
  • Agile or Sprint Test Plan
  • Regression Test Plan
  • Retest for ICT accessibility with each feature or update.
  • Continuously update the accessibility test suite as patterns evolve.
  • Ensure ongoing Section 508 compliance as part of CI/CD.
  • Use dashboards and defect tracking to monitor Section 508 conformance and ICT accessibility.

Reviewed/Updated: January 2026

Section508.gov

An official website of the General Services Administration

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov