WordPress is a CMS that now powers over 20% of the world's websites.
But how easy is it to create an accessible website using WordPress? What is there to help you, and what are the pitfalls?
And if you want to help make WordPress more accessible, there's a team of volunteers who would love to talk to you. Come and join in at: https://make.wordpress.org/accessibility/get-involved-1/
This slide deck formed the basis of a round table discussion that I chaired at eAccess15 in London on 24th March 2015.
2. Introductions
• What is your name?
• Who do you work for?
• Your knowledge/use of WordPress?
• What you'd like to learn or take away from
this session?
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3. What I’m going to cover
• What is WordPress?
• How WordPress Works
• Creating accessible websites with
WordPress
• Accessibility and the Admin screens
• Want to get involved?
3
5. What is WordPress?
Created in 2003 as a blogging tool.
Extra features added over years, so the
possibilities are now almost endless.
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6. More Features
WordPress can now support many types of
website. For example:
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• consumer review sites
• job boards
• membership sites (inc
with subscription)
• business websites
• community portals
• e-commerce websites
• classified ads
18. WordPress Themes
• Only ever 1 theme active at any time
• Handles overall layout of site and styles –
HTML, CSS, javascript
• So has a significant impact on site
accessibility
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19. Choosing a Theme
Who has been involved in choosing a theme
or specifying the design of a WordPress
website?
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20. Choosing a Theme
For wordpress.org version
• Free themes -
http://wordpress.org/themes/
• Premium themes -
http://wordpress.org/themes/commercial/
For wordpress.com version
• Integrated into admin area
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22. How Many Accessible Themes?
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3,048 themes in repository (as
at 23rd February 2015)
9 results for 'accessibility'
and
13 results for 'accessible'
and
32 have 'accessibility-ready' tag
23. WordPress Plugins
• A site can (in theory) have any number of
plugins active at any time
• Plugins are available for many different
needs:
Improve SEO, site security, spam prevention,
social media, forums, handling images
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24. Choosing Plugins
For wordpress.org version
• http://wordpress.org/plugins/
For wordpress.com version
• Very limited but integrated into admin
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25. WordPress Plugins
• Some plugins can affect the HTML and
functionality of the site
• So plugins can have a significant impact
on accessibility
• There is currently no accessibility review
for plugins
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28. Slider/carousel plugin example
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Can I stop the
slider using the
keyboard?
Can I attach
alternate text to
the images?
Buttons or
links?
And do they
label their
purpose?
29. Lightbox plugin example
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Can I attach
alternate text to
the large images?
When lightbox
opens, focus
remains on
page below
30. Form plugin example
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Do screen reader
users get to hear these
error messages?
Are these labels
linked to input
fields?
31. Plugins Can Help Too
WP Accessibility plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-accessibility/
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32. Getting a Developer Involved
• To design and build a theme for you
• To create extra functionality as required
• Build, install and configure more advanced
plugins
• Tailor the site to your needs
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33. Getting a Developer Involved
• Who has worked with developers to build
an accessible website?
• What was that like?
33
37. A Cornucopia of Screens
• Admin functions built and added to over
many years
• Accessibility has almost never been
considered upfront until recently
• So patchy accessibility – but improving
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40. How WordPress Changes
• Open source nature means that anyone
can contribute to development
• WordPress adds new admin functionality
with every release
• Existing functionality changes as a result
of defect reports
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42. Get Involved with WP Accessibility
• Commenting on design of new
functionality in admin screens
• Helping to test new and existing
functionality in admin screens with AT
• Get involved with accessibility reviews for
new themes
• Helping with accessibility resources and
examples for WordPress developers
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43. Where to Find Us
https://make.wordpress.org/accessibility/
Anyone interested?
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