Rutgers has purchased licenses for Deque axe Monitor (previously known as WorldSpace Comply), a tool for web accessibility auditing and reporting. While you may see both axe Monitor and WorldSpace Comply used in documentation, please note that these terms refer to the same product.

Axe Monitor acts as an enterprise spider crawler, utilizing custom scans to dive deep into websites and pick up issues on each page. These issues are grouped by priority, as well as by type. It provides information to the scanner why it is an issue, how it affects their users, and potential means of fixing the issue. It not only produces results but also teaches users how to be accessible while using it. A single organization can host unlimited website scans, allowing large departments to keep track of the various websites under one umbrella.

To see an example of the tool, we’ve created a scan of the W3C’s Before and After Demonstration, as the site has been developed with inaccessibility in mind. Axe Monitor can provide a sharable link to distribute the results to team members and site owners, just as we’ve done in this example project.

Deque axe Monitor is available to all Rutgers staff, faculty, and students. Please fill out the form to request an account for Deque axe Monitor.

Request a Deque Account

Learning axe Monitor

To help new users learn the tool, we’ve created a simple Quick Reference Guide that goes over the necessary basics.

In tandem with axe Monitor, Rutgers has also purchased licenses to Deque University for self-paced accessibility training for web design, web development, and content development. Details can be found on our Support & Training page.

Browser Plugins

Deque has also made the following plugins available for free use. It utilizes the same ruleset as axe Monitor but works as an in-browser tool that scans the current page in the browser window. This means it can also scan pages that are not on the public internet, behind logins, or generated from a local sandbox site. The issues scanned from these tools can also be uploaded to axe Monitor. The following two are available:

• axe – Web Accessibility Testing for Firefox & Chrome
• axe Expert for Chrome

Getting Support

For support using Deque axe Monitor, make sure to read the User Guide (only available when logged in). Additionally, you can also reach out to Deque’s Help Desk at helpdesk@deque.com (make sure to CC accessibility@rutgers.edu as well). Our office can provide support, but complex inquiries may need to go directly to Deque’s Helpdesk.