5 Steps to WordPress Accessibility Compliance

WordPress controls over 43% of websites, with a 61.4% market share among CMSs, making it a key force in encouraging online accessibility. It assists both web developers and beginners, helping many users become aware of accessibility for the first time. This blog post breaks down the essentials of WordPress accessibility and provides resources to support users of all skill levels, irrespective of the site they manage. Let’s start with the basics.

What is Accessibility?

Accessibility means making your website usable for all users, irrespective of motor skills, vision, hearing, or hardware like assistive technology. For most WordPress sites, accessibility is accomplished via design, content, and navigation. The Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C), a global expert group, has created standards now used industry-wide, providing best practices and policies for efficient web use. These standards develop with technology, covering many parts of computing. The most existing and relevant for web authors is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Version 2.0 AA (WCAG 2.0 AA). Countries like the US use WCAG 2.0 AA as a foundation for legal cases and regulations.

Web Accessibility Rules

Web accessibility rules reveal the ever-developing nature of web technologies. A single rulebook can’t include everything without restricting innovation. Knowing this, the W3C offers many guidelines bespoke to different technologies, providing developers the liberty to implement them effectively. These guidelines, including WCAG 2.0 AA, define what accessibility should accomplish, not exactly how to do it. While this adaptability promotes growth, it often brings confusion about proper implementation. As the WordPress accessibility roadmap notes, accessibility is about purpose over form, making websites organized, understandable, and usable for all, including traditional users.

5 Steps to WordPress Accessibility

Step 1: Design Layout

Your WordPress site’s design impacts accessibility, influencing how users navigate and engage with content. Begin with an accessibility-ready theme, evaluate for WCAG 2.0 AA compliance, though it might not ensure complete ADA or Section 508 compliance. Ensure any custom variations also sustain accessibility standards.

Here are the common accessibility considerations:

• Menus: Must be controllable without a mouse. Accessible themes support keyboard navigation for users dependent on assistive technology.
• Buttons & Links: Must be understandable and clickable with assistive devices. Proper formatting ensures accessibility.
• Color Contrast: Retain a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for text, backgrounds, menus, and links. Use a color contrast checker to ensure visibility for all users.

Step 2: Organization

The organization of menus, text, images, and pages impacts how users understand content and navigate your site, specifically with keyboards or screen readers.

While your theme sets a base layout, you regulate how pages and content are planned. For instance, you select which pages appear in the navigation menu and how text is organized.

Key organizational accessibility concerns:

• Navigation Menus: Not all pages will be in the main menu. Use a table of contents, sitemap, or search bar to offer multiple navigation options.
• Headings: Clear, structured headings help users know page content and improve SEO.
• Section Divisions: Use proper HTML, CSS, or blocks to define sections, avoid depending on paragraph breaks or indents, which screen readers can misunderstand.

Step 3: Text

Once your site is controllable and well-organized, make sure that all text on main pages and blog posts is accessible. To do so, follow these key guidelines:

• Headings: Use headings to structure content linearly (e.g., H1 for main topics, H2 for subtopics). Don’t use headings for highlighting or miss levels.
• Lists: Use built-in list formatting (bulleted or numbered) so screen readers can identify them. Avoid using paragraph breaks or tables for lists.
• Links: Make link text expressive, clearly representing the destination (e.g., WordPress Accessibility Handbook).

Step 4: Pictures and Media

After arranging your design, navigation, and text, adding media can enhance your site, with accessibility as a priority.

• Alt Text: All images must contain descriptive alt text for screen readers and better SEO.
• No Auto-Play: Avoid auto-playing videos or music. Users should have complete control to begin or stop media, particularly on ad-supported sites.
• Captions: Offer precise captions for videos to support users who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Don’t only depend on auto-captioning.
• Flashing Content: Avoid content that flickers more than three times each second, as it can cause seizures.
• Interruptions: Pop-ups, ads, or overlays must be keyboard-navigable and easy to terminate without a mouse. Also, look for “keyboard traps.”

Step 5: Test

Testing is the best way to approve your site’s accessibility. While it might feel unfamiliar, it shouldn’t be excessively frustrating. If it is, or if key functions aren’t usable, your site may not be accessible.

Test common user paths (e.g., finding a page or submitting a form) with the following approaches:

• No Style Sheets: Turn off CSS (via browser tools or plugins). If your site becomes impractical, it won’t work for screen reader users either.
• No Mouse: Navigate your site through the keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter) only. If it’s hard to move around or start features, make modifications for better keyboard accessibility.
• No Images: Disable images in your browser settings, along with being able to navigate using alt text. If crucial content is missing or vague, the alt text requires improvement.

Conclusion

Ensuring accessibility on your WordPress site isn’t just about submission; it’s about offering an inclusive experience for all users. By following these five steps: design, organization, text, media, and testing, you can ensure your site’s usability, availability, and legality. Prioritizing accessibility from the beginning benefits everyone and imitates the accurate spirit of the open web.

How WAC Can Help?

WAC makes accomplishing WordPress accessibility compliance effortless using tools that audit your site for ADA and WCAG standards. Their real-time monitoring, thorough accessibility reports, and user-friendly widget for text resizing, contrast corrections, and screen reader support help ensure a comprehensive experience for all users, streamlining the process and making your site compliant and accessible.

Author: Amna

Amna Shahid is a skilled content writer at WAC who crafts clear and engaging content that bridges the gap between complex software solutions and user requirements. With splendid storytelling skills and great knowledge around technology, Amna is professional in transforming complex software ideas into understanding and compelling prose.

Reviewed By: admin