WordPress Accessibility Fixes: How to make your website ADA compliant – accessiBe WordPress

Making your website accessible to everyone is more important than ever. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common WordPress accessibility issues and how to fix them. We will also cover some tips on making your website ADA compliant, like using tools such as accessiBe WordPress. Having an accessible website is not only required by law in some cases, but it is also the right thing to do. Everyone should have equal access to your content, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.

Understanding accessibility and why it is important is

Website accessibility is defined as making your website available to as many people as possible, regardless of their disability or impairment. This includes people who are blind, have low vision, are deaf, are hard of hearing, have motor disabilities, and more. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over one billion people worldwide with some form of disability. That’s over 15% of the world’s population! And according to a study by WebAIM, only 0.005% of websites are fully accessible to people with disabilities. This means that businesses and organizations have a huge opportunity to make their website more accessible and inclusive.

There are many benefits to making your website accessible. For businesses and organizations, it can help you reach a larger audience, improve your SEO, and avoid potential lawsuits. For individuals with disabilities, it can make the internet more accessible and allow them to participate in online life fully. And for everyone else, it can create a more user-friendly and inclusive internet experience.

So now that we know why accessibility is important let’s take a look at some of the most common WordPress accessibility issues.

Low contrast text

One of the most common accessibility issues on WordPress websites is low contrast text. This means that the text on your website is not easy to read because the colors have poor contrast. Low contrast text can be difficult or impossible for people with low vision to read. It can also be difficult for people with colorblindness to see.

There are a few ways to fix this issue:

  1. You can automatically try using a plugin like Accessible Colors to automatically add high contrast colors to your website.

  2. You can manually edit the colors of your website using CSS.

  3. You can use a high contrast color scheme like the one below.

Here is an example of a high contrast color scheme:

  • White background with black text

  • Black background with white text

  • Yellow background with black text

  • Green background with white text

  • Blue background with white text

If you’re not sure how to edit the colors of your website, we recommend hiring a professional web designer or developer.

Inaccessible links

Another common accessibility issue on WordPress websites is inaccessible links. This means that the links on your website are not properly formatted so that screen readers can understand them. Inaccessible links can make it difficult or impossible for people who are blind or have low vision to navigate your website.

There are a few fixes for this issue. First, you can automatically use a plugin like Accessible Links to add proper formatting to your links automatically. Second, you can manually edit the HTML of your links. And third, you can use descriptive link text.

Here is an example of how to use descriptive link text:

Instead of using the word “click here,” try using more descriptive words like “read more,” “learn more,” or “find out more.”