Understand your report
What does an accessibility scan score mean?
ADA Compliance Scanner’s score summarizes the automated failures that count toward its scoring rules. It is not the percentage of your site that is accessible, and a score of 100 does not certify ADA compliance.
What do the result tabs mean?
| Report section | Meaning and next step |
|---|---|
| Violations | Automated checks found a problem. Read the explanation, locate the element, and investigate a fix. |
| Needs review | The check could not make a definite decision. Inspect the element and its actual use before deciding whether it passes. |
| Passed | The automated check passed for the elements it evaluated. This does not establish that every related interaction is accessible. |
| Coverage notice | Some content, such as an embedded frame, may not have been scanned. Record the gap and test it separately. |
Why can AAA findings remain at 100?
The scanner calculates its score from impact-weighted findings tagged for WCAG A/AA or Section 508. AAA and best-practice findings are reported separately and do not reduce that score. These are the product’s scoring choices; they are not a determination of which legal obligations apply to a website.
Use the rule’s level and explanation alongside its impact. WCAG level and impact are different labels: the level identifies the standard’s requirement, while impact helps describe the severity assigned to a finding.
A real contrast example from the demo
Our local sample uses gray pricing text on a white background. The following results come from the v2.2.2 interface and scanning engine shown in the edited walkthrough.
| State | Text color | Contrast | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before | #999999 | 2.84:1 | AA contrast finding; score 94 |
| After | #747474 | 4.67:1 | AA finding clears; score 100. AAA finding remains. |
The change clears the AA check for that text in that state. It says nothing about whether the sample’s keyboard navigation or screen-reader experience works. Read the contrast guide before applying a suggested color to your own site.
Count rules and affected elements separately
One failing rule can affect several elements. A shared component can also produce the same issue on multiple pages. Use the affected-element details to find the source of a recurring problem; do not treat a smaller rule count as proof that fewer visitors are affected.
Compare scans under the same conditions
- Use the same page address, layout, login state, and open menus or dialogs.
- Reload after making the change, then explicitly re-scan.
- Record coverage gaps and anything still in Needs review.
- Keep the extension version with the result. A rule update can change findings without a change to your page.
What a scan cannot decide
An automated check cannot establish that a task makes sense, every control is usable, or every image description conveys the right information. Pair the report with manual checks and user testing. W3C describes the role of tools and human evaluation in its accessibility evaluation overview.