How do you include assistive technology, like screen readers, in manual audits?

Any manual audit should always include keyboard-only navigation. We also use screen readers to listen to content and spot-check how components function and communicate information. By design, many of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines do not require testing with other assistive technologies, as they may interact with the code in different ways. Essentially, if all the requirements at the code level are met, the goal is for it to be flexible enough to work with all kinds of assistive technologies.

While testing with screen readers or other technologies, such as screen magnification, is extremely valuable, certain technologies can sometimes smooth out issues or interact with the content differently, depending on the brand. Assistive technology testing must be paired with content and code review, as meeting the WCAG requirements depends on the code and content, rather than specific assistive technology interactions.