Accessibility for WordPress

WordPress is a popular content management system used by millions of websites worldwide, and it is our CMS of choice here at Filter. But as more businesses choose this platform, it is essential to ensure that WordPress websites are accessible to users with disabilities.

Accessibility for WordPress involves a range of techniques and best practices to make the platform usable for everyone, regardless of their abilities.

This article provides an overview of accessibility considerations for WordPress, including tips for designing accessible themes, implementing accessibility plugins, and optimising content for accessibility compliance.

By implementing these practices, WordPress users can create a more inclusive and user-friendly digital experience that caters to the needs of all users.

The WordPress Accessibility Coding Standards are a set of coding practices and guidelines designed to ensure that WordPress websites and themes are accessible to people with disabilities. These standards provide developers with a framework to create accessible and inclusive digital experiences, covering aspects such as keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and colour contrast.

The WordPress Accessibility Coding Standards can be found on the WordPress.org website under the Accessibility Handbook. The guidelines cover topics such as semantic markup, keyboard accessibility, form labelling, and alternative text for images.

They also provide recommendations for specific accessibility issues, such as implementing skip navigation links, using ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes, and providing text equivalents for non-text content.

Following the WordPress Accessibility Coding Standards helps developers create websites that are more accessible and inclusive for users with disabilities.

Additionally, by implementing accessibility best practices, developers can provide a better user experience for all users, including those with disabilities, while also demonstrating a commitment to social responsibility and inclusivity.

Developing accessible blocks and themes for a WordPress site typically involves ensuring that the layout and design of the blocks and themes are easy to navigate and interact with for users with disabilities.

This includes considerations such as providing sufficient colour contrast, using appropriate font sizes and styles, and ensuring proper heading hierarchy. Developers must also ensure that the content is accessible by using descriptive alternative text for images, using proper semantic markup, and avoiding inaccessible elements such as tables or frames.

When creating blocks and themes for clients, we use a range of tools and techniques to make sure what we are developing is compliant and compatible with the guidelines.

We don’t just rely upon our ability to look at a site and tick a box to meet the guidelines when we are building sites.

During our design phase we use tools such as Stark, (a plugin for Figma), which helps us to ensure that the colours we are using for the design do not cause any contrast issues using resources like ​​the contrast checker from WebAIM.

Then during development, we evaluate the work we are doing in an ongoing manner using the WAVE Evolution Chrome plug-in.

Testing for accessibility compliance on a WordPress site is not just about design and development though. Often the content may not be fully accessible because of the way it is written, or third-party functionality has been added causing a problem.

You can use the following processes to help you check for compliance:

1. Automated Testing: You might use automated accessibility testing tools like the Accessibility Checker, WP Accessibility, or WebAIM to scan your website for common accessibility issues.
2. Manual Testing: Conduct manual accessibility testing using assistive technologies like screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, and colour contrast checkers.
3. Accessibility Auditing: Hire an accessibility consultant or team to conduct a comprehensive accessibility audit of your website. This will involve manual testing, automated testing, and expert review to identify accessibility issues and provide recommendations for fixing them.
4. WordPress Plugins: Install accessibility plugins like WP Accessibility, Accessible Poetry, or UserWay Accessibility Widget to automatically make your site more accessible and provide accessibility options for users.
5. Accessibility Themes: Use accessible WordPress themes that are designed with accessibility in mind, including features like colour contrast, keyboard navigation, and ARIA labels.

There are several accessibility plugins available for WordPress, each with unique features and benefits. Here are some of the top plugins for accessibility in WordPress:

1. WP Accessibility: This plugin provides a suite of accessibility tools to make WordPress sites more accessible, including options to add skip links, long descriptions for images, and text resizing options.
2. Accessible Poetry: This plugin helps to create accessible content by highlighting any accessibility issues in your content and providing recommendations for improvement.
3. UserWay Accessibility Widget: This plugin adds an accessibility menu to your website, allowing users to adjust the site’s appearance, change text sizes, and enable screen readers.
4. Accessibility Checker: This plugin scans your WordPress site for accessibility issues and provides a detailed report highlighting any issues found.
5. WP ADA Compliance Check: This plugin checks your site for accessibility compliance and provides a report outlining any accessibility issues found.

We’d recommend that you use at least one of these plugins on your WordPress site to check for any accessibility issues and find fixes for them.

The WordPress community is made up of a diverse audience and due to this, accessibility for WordPress is important. There are several individuals who have played, and continue to have, a significant role in leading the drive for accessibility in WordPres:

1. Rian Rietveld: Rian is a freelance accessibility specialist and a co-author of the WordPress Accessibility Coding Standards. She has been an active member of the WordPress accessibility team and has contributed to several accessibility-related initiatives in the WordPress community.
2. Joe Dolson: Joe is an accessibility consultant and developer and has contributed significantly to the WordPress accessibility team. He has developed several accessibility plugins for WordPress, including the WP Accessibility plugin, which helps make WordPress sites more accessible.
3. Graham Armfield: Graham is an accessibility consultant and developer and has been an active member of the WordPress accessibility team for several years. He has contributed to several accessibility initiatives, including the development of the Accessibility Handbook.
4. Andrea Fercia: Andrea is an accessibility consultant and developer and a member of the WordPress Accessibility team. He has contributed to several accessibility-related initiatives in the WordPress community and has co-authored the WordPress Accessibility Coding Standards.
5. Sarah Ricker: Sarah is a WordPress developer and a member of the WordPress Accessibility team. She has contributed to several accessibility initiatives, including the development of the Accessibility Handbook.

We know that you can’t be specialists in every area, so Filter partners with agencies that have dedicated knowledge of accessibility and usability issues, to help provide us and our clients with further support by testing to an enhanced level.

This means that when Filter builds a website, you can ensure it is developed to the highest standards.

User Testing and Evaluation
For clients seeking a comprehensive accessibility evaluation and remediation process, we have partnered with Web Usability. Our long-standing collaboration with Web Usability allows us to work seamlessly together, delivering an optimal solution.

Accessible Documents
For clients with a large number of PDFs and document files requiring proper tagging and formatting for accessibility, we collaborate with AbleDocs, a global leader in accessible documents. AbleDocs offers an automated scanning platform that provides a detailed analysis of file structures, ensuring proper tagging and formatting for accessibility.

Filter also partners with agencies that have specialist knowledge of accessibility and usability issues, and can provide further support by testing to an enhanced level.

In summary, it is important to ensure that your WordPress website is accessible to as many users as possible, not just for their benefit but also so that your business or organisation remains legally compliant.

To achieve this, you need to put time and effort into delivering high standards of accessibility, and meeting WCAG, Equality and ADA guidelines.

Filter has significant experience of dealing with large complex sites where accessibility is a high priority, so if you would like to chat about how you can achieve the right level of accessibility for your business or organisation, please get in touch for a free consultation.