Free Extension Provides Automated Testing to Help Identify and Resolve Common Digital Accessibility Problems
HERNDON, VA – October 22, 2020 – Deque Systems, the trusted leader in digital accessibility, today announced the release of the axe accessibility testing tool for Microsoft’s new Edge web browser.
Like its Chrome and Firefox counterparts, axe for Edge is a simple to use, automated testing tool that helps developers identify and resolve common accessibility gaps that prevent or limit people with disabilities from interacting with websites and their content. These accessibility defects, when left in place, prohibit people with visual, auditory, motor, speech or cognitive disabilities and their various assistive technologies to experience the full benefit of the web.
Axe browser extensions are used by over 135,000 people each week, and utilize the industry-standard axe-core open source rules library for WCAG and Section 508 accessibility. They return zero false positives, testing for problems that can be accurately detected via automation.
“The axe extension helps developers catch over 50 percent of accessibility problems while coding, dramatically reducing the time and cost of manual accessibility testing,” says Dylan Barrell, Chief Technology Officer at Deque Systems. “Now development teams using Chrome, Firefox or Edge can easily check for accessibility defects right from the browser.”
The free axe browser extension for Edge is available for download at the Microsoft Edge Extensions store.
“We’re pleased to see yet another valuable extension like axe added to the Microsoft Edge browser ecosystem. Enabling developers to build accessible experiences in Microsoft Edge will benefit users everywhere,” says Ashish Poddar, Sr. Product Manager – Browser Experiences at Microsoft Edge.
What is Digital Accessibility?
Digital Accessibility is the practice of making digital documents, web and mobile apps accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Without the continuous use of features like captions, alt-text for screen readers, zoom functions, simple presentation layouts and more, digital content may be inconvenient or impossible to use.
About Deque Systems
Deque (pronounced dee-cue) is a web accessibility software and services company, and our mission is Digital Equality. We believe everyone, regardless of their ability, should have equal access to the information, services, applications, and everything else on the web.
We work with enterprise-level businesses and organizations to ensure that their sites and mobile apps are accessible. Installed in over 250,000 browsers and with over 4,000 audit projects completed, Deque is the industry standard.
News Media Contacts
At Deque:
Ryan Bateman, 703-225-0380, marketing@deque.com
Kristina LeBlanc, 508-930-5636, kristinawleblanc@gmail.com
Frank Cioffi, 415-893-1570, frankc@medialinkgroup.com
