Accessibility and Useability Testing Resource - Usability.gov

If you are involved in developing or testing web sites that have a requirement to conform to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, otherwise known as 508 compliance, then you will want to visit Usability.gov.

Here's the stated purpose of this site:
Usability.gov is the primary government source for information on usability and user-centered design. It provides guidance and tools on how to make Web sites and other communication systems more usable and useful. Topics include:

• a step-by-step guide on how to plan, analyze, design, and usability test a highly usable Web site;
• quick access to the latest usability methods;
• an introduction to usability, how to get started, and what it costs;
• the latest research-based Web design guidelines;
• templates and examples for assessing audience needs, writing a usability test report;
• and much more.

The site is nicely done and well laid out with a step-by-step HOW TO guide. This guide takes you through Planning, Analyzing, Designing and Testing/Refining. I found the Templates & Examples section to be rich with useful documents that relate to each of the steps in the guide. You'll find everything you need from Job Descriptions, interview questions for usability consultants, to examples of Usability Reports. This government web site is well worth checking out and using as a reference. And if you want to get information on a useful accessibility testing tool, take a look at our previous article on Using Windows Eyes for Accessibility and 508 Compliance Testing.