Get started with Access Assistant

On this page:

• Feature overview
• Launch the toolbar
• Log in to AMP

Feature overview

Access Assistant allows users to capture pages and nodes within pages as modules for testing, and it allows users to run both automated and manual accessibility tests directly within the browser.

Toolbar features include:

• Asset and Report Creation and Editing: Create and modify assets and reports from the toolbar
• Module Capture: Capture either a page or a node as a module and automatically test them on capture. Automated testing is powered by the new Access Engine accessibility testing engine.
• Continue Testing: Open existing reports and pick up where you left off. When you select a module that was previously-captured, the page will be opened in the main browser window and previously-captured instances will be displayed in the toolbar.
• Manual Testing: Run through manual tests and add violation instances. When adding a new instance, use the Inspect Tool to capture the component details.
• Retest: Modules that have been previously tested can be retested after changes have been made or components on the page have been activated to capture changes.

Note that Access Assistant doesn't support Single Page Applications.

Launch the toolbar

NOTE to Assistive Technology Users: Access Assistant can be opened with the hotkey combination Ctr+Shift+Space .

After Installing Access Assistant in your browser, it is launched like any other browser extension. To test a site, you will need to:

1. Open the site to be tested: Access Assistant is launched from the site that is being tested, so the tested website must be open in the browser when the extension is launched.
2. Enable Pop-ups: Before launching the extension, enable pop-ups on the site that is being tested. ACCESS Assistant is a pop-up that is launched from the website being tested, so this will be required in order for the toolbar to be opened.

Log in to AMP

To use the toolbar it is necessary for the user to be logged in to AMP.  If the login form is not displayed when you first launch the toolbar, review the user account and AMP instance details in the toolbar header to verify that you are logged in to the correct instance where testing results should be saved.

If you do not already have an active AMP session, login instructions are different if Two-Factor Authentication is enabled for your AMP instance and/or if you use SSO to login to AMP from another system.

Standard AMP login

To login to AMP, enter the URL for the AMP instance. On the subsequent screen, enter your AMP username and password for the specific AMP instance. Once you login all assets you can view will be displayed in the toolbar.

Two-Factor Authentication

If Two-Factor Authentication is enabled for your AMP instance, after entering your AMP instance a login key will be emailed to the email account associated with your AMP account. Copy the key from this email and enter it in the subsequent screen, along with your username and password. Once you successfully login, all assets you can view will be displayed in the toolbar.

Single Sign-On

If you generally sign in to AMP from another system, using those credentials, you will need to login to AMP with those credentials in order to use the toolbar. This should be done before launching the toolbar for testing. If you do not have an active AMP session, you will be prompted in the toolbar to login to AMP before launching the toolbar.