A Brief Survey of Current Software Engineering Practices in Continuous Integration and Automated Accessibility Testing
Parth Sane
TL;DR
This paper surveys current software engineering practices for integrating automated accessibility testing into CI/CD pipelines. It maps adoption drivers and barriers, surveys tooling and standards, and outlines how agile teams can incorporate accessibility testing into their workflows. Key contributions include the AutoAccTestFig and VirtuousAcc diagrams that visualize CI-based accessibility processes and education pathways, along with guidance for training and organizational adoption. While the review is largely qualitative, it highlights substantial business and user benefits and calls for case studies to quantify impact.
Abstract
It's long been accepted that continuous integration (CI) in software engineering increases the code quality of enterprise projects when adhered to by it's practitioners. But is any of that effort to increase code quality and velocity directed towards improving software accessibility accommodations? What are the potential benefits quoted in literature? Does it fit with the modern agile way that teams operate in most enterprises? This paper attempts to map the current scene of the software engineering effort spent on improving accessibility via continuous integration and it's hurdles to adoption as quoted by researchers. We also try to explore steps that agile teams may take to train members on how to implement accessibility testing and introduce key diagrams to visualize processes to implement CI based accessibility testing procedures in the software development lifecycle.