Comprehensive Website Accessibility Audit to WCAG 2.1 AAA Standard
You have noticed that users with screen readers cannot fill out a form on your site. Elderly clients complain about small text with low contrast. These are typical problems that an accessibility audit at level AAA solves. We know how to identify such failure points and provide concrete fixes.
We have conducted accessibility audits for 50+ sites — from government portals to banking applications. Our experience shows that even seemingly minor violations can lead to a loss of up to 30% of the audience with disabilities.
WCAG 2.1 AAA is the highest level of web accessibility conformance. It includes 28 additional criteria on top of AA. Full AAA conformance across an entire site is practically unattainable. It is not the goal — W3C explicitly states this. AAA is used for critical sections: government services, healthcare platforms, educational services.
What additional requirements appear at AAA level?
Perceivable:
1.2.6 Sign Language (AAA) — synchronized translation of videos into sign language. 1.2.7 Extended Audio Description (AAA) — extended audio description for video where pauses are insufficient to describe the action. 1.4.6 Contrast Enhanced (AAA) — minimum contrast 7:1 for normal text, 4.5:1 for large text:
/* AAA: 7:1 for normal text */ body { color: #1a1a1a; /* 17.1:1 on white ✓ */ background: #ffffff; } .text-secondary { color: #595959; /* 7.0:1 on white — exactly AAA */ } /* Visual Presentation (1.4.8) — text block settings */ article { max-width: 80ch; line-height: 1.5; } p + p { margin-top: 1.5em; } article { text-align: left; } 1.4.9 Images of Text (AAA) — text must not be rendered as an image (except logos). Operable:
2.1.3 Keyboard (No Exception) (AAA) — all functionality must be operable through a keyboard interface, with no exceptions. AA allows exceptions for tasks like drawing; AAA allows none. 2.2.3 No Timing (AAA) — no time limits whatsoever. 2.2.6 Timeouts (AAA) — warn the user about a timeout 20+ seconds before it occurs. 2.3.2 Three Flashes (AAA) — nothing flashes more than three times per second. 2.4.8 Location (AAA) — the user knows where they are in the site structure:
<nav aria-label="Breadcrumb"> <ol> <li><a href="/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/products">Products</a></li> <li aria-current="page">Smartphones</li> </ol> </nav> 2.4.9 Link Purpose — Link Only (AAA) — the purpose of each link can be determined from the link text alone, without context:
<!-- Violates AAA --> <a href="/read-more">Read more</a> <!-- Complies with AAA --> <a href="/products/iphone-15">Smartphone iPhone 15 Pro — details</a> Understandable: 3.1.3 Unusual Words (AAA) — a mechanism for explaining unusual words and jargon:
<abbr title="Unified Tax on Imputed Income">UTII</abbr> <p>Used the <a href="/glossary#kpi">KPI</a> evaluation method.</p> 3.1.4 Abbreviations (AAA) — expansion of abbreviations via <abbr>. 3.1.5 Reading Level (AAA) — a simplified version of content if the reading level is above 9th grade:
<details> <summary>Simplified explanation</summary> <p>In simple words: ...</p> </details> 3.2.5 Change on Request (AAA) — nothing changes without explicit user action. No automatic redirects, automatic content updates without request. 3.3.4 Error Prevention (All) (AAA) — for all form submissions: the ability to review, correct, or cancel.
When is AAA level really needed?
- Government portals and e-government services
- Medical information systems
- Educational platforms (e-learning, distance learning)
- Financial services with an elderly audience
- Any service where excluding part of the users is legally unacceptable
AAA audit methodology
AAA audit includes all of AA plus:
- Video content — captions, audio description, sign language (if present)
- Manual testing with users — involving people with various disabilities
- Cognitive accessibility — readability checks (Flesch-Kincaid, Fog Index)
- Monochrome rendering mode test — Windows High Contrast Mode
What is included in the work
- Detailed report listing each WCAG 2.1 AAA violation and its priority
- Remediation roadmap with effort estimates for each item
- Remediation recommendations with ready code examples (HTML/CSS/JS)
- Re-testing (regression) after changes are implemented
- Consultation with your developers on complex scenarios
- Access to our knowledge base on web accessibility
Deliverables
Deliverables include: accessibility documentation, access to our testing tools, training for your team, and post-remediation support.
Audit timeline
| Scope | Duration |
|---|---|
| Key sections (10–20 pages) | 5–8 days |
| Full medium-sized site | 10–21 days |
| With testing involving users with disabilities | +3–5 days |
| Criterion | AA | AAA |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum contrast | 4.5:1 | 7:1 |
| Keyboard operation | Allows exceptions | No exceptions |
| Time limits | Allowed | Not allowed |
| Captions for video | For pre-recorded | For all video |
Our specialists are certified and have over 7 years of experience in web accessibility. We guarantee audit quality and provide support throughout the remediation process. Our full AAA audit typically costs between $3,000 and $10,000 depending on site size. Our manual audit identifies 5x more accessibility issues than automated tools alone. We combine accessibility auditing with usability testing for real-world feedback.
Contact us to discuss your project and get a consultation on the scope of work. W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 — https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/