Browser extensions for quick accessibility checks that work

Introduction

Over the years, I’ve noticed that setting up browser extensions (I use Chrome as my browser of choice) has gotten way faster. As a result, I’ve pared down my extensions to just the essentials. That said, I still rely on them — especially because I'm a visual person — when I’m exploring an unfamiliar page or feature and need a quick, lightweight audit of a website's accessibility.

If I had to show someone how I quickly evaluate a website’s or feature’s accessibility — beyond pressing Tab to see if focus rings appear on buttons — I’d go straight to my trusty browser extensions.

Think of this evaluation like checking out a book at a store. You don’t read the entire thing right there — you just skim enough to decide if it’s worth taking home to read later. Using a browser extension for accessibility is the same idea: it gives you a quick snapshot, but it’s no substitute for thorough user testing or expert manual reviews.

Daily workflow

My day-to-day accessibility checks involve just a few quick steps:

1. Open the website or page you want to evaluate.

2. Decide what you’re focusing on — headings structure, focus order, color contrast?

3. Pick the right extension to check those criteria.

4. Document your findings and discuss them with the team responsible for the experience. Make sure to figure out if the issue is already known, being worked on, or if they need more input from you.

Extensions for the browser

Now for the fun part — here are five browser extensions I use all the time:

1. Headings Map extension

This extension shows a map of the page’s structure, focusing on headings. Check that headings follow a logical order (H1 → H2 → H3), there’s exactly one H1 per page, and no levels are skipped.

2. VisBug

I use VisBug to spot color contrast violations. While Chrome DevTools has built-in vision simulators for broader testing, this extension is great for zooming in on smaller elements and checking if they meet contrast standards.

3. Wave evaluation tool

Wave gives instant visual feedback on accessibility. It’s great for reviewing page structure, content labels (like aria-labels and roles), and image descriptions. Basically, it gives a high-level overview of a little bit of everything.

4. Taba11y

(Currently unavailable on the Chrome Web Store, but hopefully it’ll return!) Taba11y draws visual lines to show the Tab sequence. It’s really good for spotting illogical focus order or that the focus “jumps” that could confuse keyboard-only or screen reader users.

5. IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker

This classic tool provides a quick scan summary of the page’s accessibility, highlighting violations and suggesting best practices. I like using it to double-check my own analysis and ensure my findings align (or don’t) with the tool’s results.

Beyond extensions

Combine these five extensions with Chrome DevTools’ Accessibility Tree inspection and Rendering options (for emulating CSS media features), and you’ll have a powerhouse setup for quick accessibility check.

Communicate with others

If you’re part of a team, it’s critical to share your findings with feature owners early on — but only if it fits within your team’s workflow. If you’re not known as the go-to accessibility expert, consider sharing basic accessibility knowledge first, rather than framing your findings as “bugs” or urgent fixes. "Fix this asap" followed by the screenshot with the extension is a "no-go".

Accessibility work should be proactive, not reactive. It’s about inclusive, strategic thinking and collaborating with the right people to make meaningful improvements.

Wrapping up

I hope this article helps you get started with simple, visual tools for testing accessibility. They’re quick, easy, and great for those initial evaluations that spark bigger conversations about inclusive design. Happy holidays and testing!