As far as website accessibility tools go, Bobby by Watchfire WebXact is one of the most popular and, in our opinion one of the best. We use it all the time to test our websites for accessibility compliance. Sadly, Bobby has been taken underground and since 1 February 2008 it’s no longer available to the public. What a shame.

According to the Bobby website (webxact.watchfire.com) they are part of IBM and have decided to dedicate their time into a different accessibility tool, named the Rational Policy Tester Accessibility Edition. The blurb reads:

“As of February 1, 2008 the Watchfire WebXact and Bobby Online products will no longer be publicly available. As an IBM Company, Watchfire will continue to invest in accessibility through the IBM Rational Policy Tester Accessibility Edition solution (previously WebXM Accessibility Module). This enterprise platform leverages the Bobby technology alongside a next-generation scan engine, providing the accessibility community with technology that allows users to scan, test, remediate and understand compliance with current accessibility legislation. Watchfire is working closely with the IBM Human Ability and Accessibility Center to continue to evolve this product line to meet this growing market demand.”

This leaves many web developers in quite a pickle and asking the question. Which of the other online accessibility compliance testing tools are any good? So I ask you, do you have any recommendations/experiences with others?

For more information on web accessibility please contact us on +44(0)1202 315285 or info@acmultimedia.co.uk. Learn more about AC Multimedia.

Accessibility