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Training This is not a real service – this is for training purposes only. You can give your feedback on this resource by email or feedback survey (opens in a new tab).

About the Elf-cessibility induction at Santa HQ

The Elf-cessability induction from the Department of Elfish Affairs* is a practical training resource designed to build confidence and capability in digital accessibility. It uses short, focused tasks based on real issues commonly found in live services.

It's not designed to make you an accessibility expert, or as a replacement for proper accessibility auditing and user testing.

*Unfortunately the Department of Elfish Affairs (DEA) is not a real government department. However, the accessibility challenges presented in this induction are based on real issues found in digital services used by millions of people every day.

This resource was created by Lori Thomson as a festive training opportunity to help teach people about accessibility. It was built using an adapted version of the GOV.UK Prototype kit and takes inspiration from a variety of accessibility resources. If you would like to provide feedback or contribute join the Github repositiory or get in touch by email.

Who this training is for

The Elf-cessability induction is for anyone involved in creating, publishing or maintaining digital services, including:

What the induction covers

The induction is structured as a series of 12 short accessibility tasks. Each task focuses on a specific, common accessibility issue that can be checked quickly using a browser, keyboard or simple testing tools.

Across the 12 tasks, you will practise checking:

Each task includes:

Tools used during the induction

Some tasks introduce a browser-based testing tool known as the 'Web Accesibility Viewer for Elves' or more commonly known as WAVE.

WAVE highlights potential accessibility issues such as missing labels, structural problems and colour contrast failures. It is useful for quick checks, but it does not replace manual testing.

Throughout the induction, you will learn when tools like WAVE are helpful, and when human judgement and manual testing are essential.

You can install WAVE from the WAVE website.

Completing the induction

Once you have worked through all 12 tasks, you can finish the induction and receive your Elf-cessability Specialist badge and certificate.

These are intended as a light-hearted recognition of progress - and a reminder that accessibility is an ongoing practice, not a one-off exercise.

If you want to explore all tasks in one place, you can use the site map.

Previous accessibility training

If you found this induction useful, you may also be interested in earlier accessibility training resources, including the: