When your application has an accessibility issue, it means that some users will find it harder or impossible to use your application. This means that a percentage of your users are having a bad experience or simply can’t use your product. The implications are far reaching, because many countries have laws governing accessibility in applications for consumers, government, or educational use. Accessibility is as important as privacy or security, to ensure your application is usable by all developers and complies with legal standards.
The Integrated Accessibility Checker
That’s easier said than done, but Visual Studio is making it easier. Visual Studio 2022 17.5 introduced the Integrated Accessibility Checker. This tool scans for several common accessibility issues in desktop applications and provides feedback on those errors directly in Visual Studio. The scan is powered by the Axe-Windows engine. This is the same engine which powers Accessibility Insights for Windows. The Integrated Accessibility Checker now brings the power of this engine directly into Visual Studio for a more streamlined experience.
Getting Started
Currently, the Integrated Accessibility Checker works on XAML based, desktop applications, including WPF, UWP and WinUI3. This includes .NET MAUI when it’s running with WinUI3 as well as Xamarin when it’s running with UWP. To access the Checker, invoke either the “Show Accessibility Checker” button in the In-App Toolbar or the “Scan for Accessibility Issues” button in the Live Visual Tree while you’re debugging your application.