How to Audit and Create a Digital Accessibility Audit Report. Part One

In our blog, we describe all the criteria from WCAG 2.2. You might be wondering how we can use these during accessibility tests. This post begins a series that will help you understand what a digital accessibility audit is and how to perform one.

Why do we conduct a WCAG audit?

Every auditor should ask this most important question when reviewing a website, webpage, or mobile app. Formally, an audit is the process of assessing compliance with guidelines. What guidelines? That depends on what we want to check and where the digital project is located, or rather what legal requirements it falls under.

In Poland, the law governing digital accessibility for public websites and mobile apps is the Act of April 4, 2019. There are also other legal requirements around the world. For example, in the United States, it’s Section 508. In the European Union, it’s the European Accessibility Act (EAA), formally Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and Council of April 17, 2019. This last one will also update Polish law on June 25, 2025, which is less than a year away. All these regulations currently rely on the international standard WCAG 2.1.

The second aspect of conducting a digital accessibility audit is identifying elements that might hinder access for certain user groups. This includes everyone, but especially people with disabilities. Which groups are we talking about? These are people who:

• Cannot see at all or need assistive technologies like screen readers or screen magnifiers. This group also includes people with color blindness.
• Cannot hear fully or use hearing aids. This especially includes people for whom Polish is a foreign language because they use Polish Sign Language (PJM) daily.
• Use a computer or mobile device without a mouse. Mostly, these people use only the keyboard or special controllers like eye trackers.
• Might have trouble understanding complex texts, forms, or processes on a website, or need additional help or hints.

We also need to remember that these limitations can be temporary. Have you ever tried reading an article in a very sunny room where the sunlight is blinding you? Have you watched a movie while your neighbor was doing renovations? Or have you answered the phone with your elbow or chin because your hands were dirty from working in the garden?

Summary

The answer to the question “Why do we conduct a WCAG audit?” can be summarized in one sentence. The audit aims to identify barriers due to legal regulations and/or user limitations when using our digital product.

How should you prepare for an audit? What does an audit report consist of? How do you choose the pages or screens to audit? We will discuss these topics in future posts on our blog.