WordPress Accessibility Plugin to make your site ADA-compliant

Yes, under the ADA, your WordPress website must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Claimants have argued the internet is a “place of public accommodation” and, therefore, subject to the mandate of the ADA. U.S. Federal Courts have largely agreed, siding with accessibility. This means operating an inaccessible website puts you at risk of a costly and time-consuming legal action. Not to mention, it could negatively position your brand as one that does not embrace online equality.

If you’re creating your site from scratch, it’s best to start with an accessible WordPress theme. Twenty Twenty(opens in a new tab) is one WordPress recommends. These themes have many accessibility tools built-in, but remember, when you begin adding your custom features and content, you are most likely introducing additional accessibility issues.

That’s why we recommend our comprehensive solution. Regardless of whether you’re building your site or already have a fully constructed site, for accessibility and peace of mind, simply install AudioEye. We are continuously developing and deploying automated fixes for common WCAG errors. We also scan and monitor your website, which means each and every time a visitor comes to it, our platform will start automatically fixing issues, improving your accessibility. We’re also keeping up with your content changes. Visitors to your site can also interact with our Accessibility Toolbar, enabling them to customise things like colour contrast, font size and spacing, visual focus, and more. With AudioEye, your WordPress site is ADA-compliant and protected from day one.

The WordPress accessibility plugin includes the following accessibility features:

• Add skip links with user-defined targets

• Add language and text direction attributes to your HTML attribute if missing

• Add an outline to the keyboard focus indicator

• Include long alt text descriptions for images

• Identify images with missing alt text or attributes

• Add labels to standard WordPress form fields

Using a WordPress accessibility plugin — like AudioEye — offers several benefits, specifically around making it accessible and usable to as many users as possible. First, these plugins include accessibility features that improve usability for individuals with disabilities. This includes text-to-speech options, colour contrast adjustments, keyboard navigation enhancements, and assistive technology (such as screen readers) compatibility.

Second, a WordPress accessibility plugin can help you meet legal requirements, including accessibility standards outlined in the ADA, WCAG, Section 508, the European Accessibility Act, and more. These standards can help you avoid being sued for lack of accessibility, something that can quickly get time-consuming and expensive.

Finally, and most importantly, an accessibility plugin improves the user experience. By making your website content more accessible, you increase the reach of your audience. Search engine rankings, for example, rank accessible, user-friendly websites higher than others, allowing you to expand your audience base. And the more user-friendly your site is, the higher your user engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty rates are.

The bottom line: improving the accessibility of your site ensures you’re compliant with accessibility laws and allows you to create a more seamless browsing experience for users of all abilities.

It’s important that you have permission to access your settings to install the AudioEye Javascript code(opens in a new tab) and ensure your WordPress website is accessible. Work is not taking place on your site until our code is active in your WordPress website footer. There are two ways to access your WordPress admin dashboard(opens in a new tab), and here’s a helpful article if you’re having trouble logging in(opens in a new tab).

By default, to add accessibility widgets in WordPress you have to click on the widget, drag the widget where you want it, and release the click. For some individuals with limited abilities, this can be difficult or even impossible. Accessibility Mode essentially provides a new way to add widgets. While Accessibility Mode is active, each widget has an “add” button next to it. When pressed, you may select the area in which the widget will be added, like the footer for example, and it appears. This method requires only a few clicks, making it easier for some users.

WordPress has created and makes available dozens of free themes(opens in a new tab) in its repository. These themes have been vetted for accessibility and pass basic accessibility requirements. However, while these themes certainly provide a solid foundation when building an accessible website, remember, you can make even an accessible theme inaccessible with the installation of inaccessible plugins or design decisions that don’t take into account accessibility requirements.

Using an accessibility checker, like AudioEye, helps you determine how accessible an existing WordPress site is in near real-time. No matter your theme, we continuously monitor and scan for WCAG errors (read more about How It Works) and certify your WordPress website’s ADA compliance from the point of installation. Install AudioEye to ensure your website remains accessible as you customise and personalise it.