Accessibility Monitoring

Accessibility monitoring is the ongoing process of tracking and measuring the accessibility level of websites or digital products over time. Because web content is frequently updated, changes can inadvertently introduce new accessibility barriers or degrade previously achieved conformance levels. Monitoring tools and services periodically scan websites, apply automated accessibility checks, and report on trends, regressions, and improvements. This practice is particularly important for organizations subject to legal accessibility requirements, as it helps detect and address issues before they result in complaints or enforcement actions. Accessibility observatories — large-scale monitoring programs that compare accessibility across many websites — have been established by government agencies and research institutions to benchmark digital accessibility at national or sector level.