Manual Accessibility Testing with a Screen Reader
The most revealing accessibility test is to experience your site the way disabled users do. Putting the mouse aside and listening to a page through a screen reader exposes problems no automated scan will ever flag.
Manual testing is where good intentions meet reality — and where the most valuable improvements are found.
What We Check by Hand
Using common screen readers and keyboard navigation, we work through real tasks rather than ticking boxes.
- Navigate the whole site with the keyboard alone.
- Listen to how each page is announced and ordered.
- Complete key journeys such as enquiry or checkout.
- Confirm interactive components behave as expected.
Why It Is Worth It
Manual testing catches the human factors — confusing labels, illogical order, broken widgets — that determine whether a site is genuinely usable, not just technically compliant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you test with more than one screen reader?
Yes. Screen readers behave differently, so we check the common combinations — such as NVDA and VoiceOver — to make sure your site works well across the tools people actually use.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.