WordPress Accessibility Plugin to Make Your Site ADA-Compliant

WordPress is a platform committed to being as inclusive and accessible as possible, and its objective is to make WordPress Admin and bundled themes compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. There are accessibility-related themes that have been confirmed to pass basic accessibility requirements, but WordPress does recognize that not all features and functionality fully comply.

It’s also important to note that even if you are working from an accessible theme, when you start adding your own custom elements, content, and images, those customization options will likely impact your WordPress website’s accessibility. One example is the Gutenberg Editor, which gives content editors more control by adding elements like bulleted lists, columns, tabs, and accordions. It is known that Gutenberg has significant accessibility problems.

This is where adding AudioEye to your WordPress website will give you accessibility peace of mind — monitoring and scanning your unique content, fixing the most common errors, and certifying your WordPress website’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and conformance with WCAG.

Yes, under the ADA, your WordPress website must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Plaintiffs 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 lawsuit. 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 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 perform immediate remediation, 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 customize things like color 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 standards 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, color 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 and inclusivity 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 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, and here’s a helpful article if you’re having trouble logging in.

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 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 customize and personalize it.