With the help of WordPress accessibility plugins, you can make your website accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Users of a website who have different abilities need extra help. Users with disabilities, for example, need screen readers, large call-to-action buttons, color combinations with high contrast, closed captions, image alt attributes, etc.
Since you are busy making content, using social media, and marketing, making your WordPress site easier to use would cost money and take time. Instead, you can use the AI tools and plugins for WordPress websites, which will automatically set up the design of your web page to make it accessible.
Keep reading to learn about the features and benefits of WordPress accessibility plugins. As an added bonus, you’ll learn about the most cutting-edge WordPress plugins that provide enhanced accessible design support for your website or blog.
Table of Contents
Introduction To WordPress Accessibility Plugins
To grasp WordPress accessibility plugins, it is necessary to understand website accessibility. Web page accessibility ensures that all internet users may view the portal’s content. Again, website consumption involves exploring the pages, comprehending the visual or written material, and contributing to the creation of online content.
When audiences with cognitive, auditory, physical, neurological, visual, and speech disabilities are able to access the website’s information, experts consider it accessible.
The W3 Web Accessibility Initiative has produced a global guideline to ensure that website designers adhere to a common accessibility design procedure. The acronym WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. There are numerous versions, including WCAG 2.0, WCAG 2.1, and WCAG 2.2.
If you are not using WordPress to construct your website, you must manually implement the aforementioned web page accessibility design principles.
However, if you manage your website within WordPress, there are automated solutions that may style your web portal to international accessibility requirements. These plugins for the WordPress content management system are known as WordPress accessibility plugins.
In order to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the European Union’s (EU) accessibility standards, many website owners turn to the following WordPress plugins:
1. One Click Accessibility Plugin
One Click Accessibility is a WordPress plugin that simplifies the implementation and management of accessibility settings for WordPress administrators. The instrument provides fundamental accessibility options, such as ARIA landmarks, outline focus, clearing target characteristics for links, and skip links.
In addition, its user-friendly accessibility toolbar for wordPress websites may resize fonts, highlight links, enable negative contrast, trigger high contrast, and produce site maps. Moreover, you may visually check the design modifications before making them online.
One-Click Accessibility does more than modify your WordPress site to conform to accessibility requirements. Additionally, it makes your website SEO-friendly. And since it’s a free WordPress plugin, you receive all of these capabilities for free.
2. UserWay Plugin
UserWay is another widely used WordPress plugin for accessibility control that does not require reworking of existing website code. In addition to this developer-friendly feature, the plugin’s basic widget is available at no cost.
With up to 28 features, the basic widget enables lightweight, accessibility-friendly designs. Therefore, the free option is suitable for a trial, but it may not be adequate for a fully-fledged business website. The accessibility capabilities of UserWay also enhance website compliance with ATAG 2.0, WCAG 2.1, Section 508, and ADA. However, if you are on the free plan, only 20% of the requirements must be met.
This WordPress add-on uses artificial intelligence to detect and fix accessibility problems on your site. UserWay’s ability to facilitate website navigation without the need of a mouse is one of its most appealing features.
3. AccessiBe Plugin
AccessiBe is used by more than 100k websites worldwide to ensure they meet various accessibility guidelines. Industry heavyweights such as General Electric, British Airways, Hilton, UCLA, Patek Philippe, etc. are among its platinum clients. So, you can give it a shot if you’re looking for a complete answer to the problem of website accessibility.
Accessibility problems on your website will be automatically detected and fixed by its AI-powered software. Icons, ARIA characteristics, alternative text for images, and forms are just a few examples of things it can fix on its own.
The page’s structure can be adjusted to better accommodate users of a keyboard. In addition, the plugin continually checks for new content to ensure that there is no discrepancy between the accessibility settings of older and newer pieces.
accessiBe uses multiple tools, at least two, to meet the highest level of accessibility standards. This WordPress plugin’s GUI-accessible interface, for instance, allows you to modify the UI and design of your website in accordance with WCAG 2.1 standards.
On the other hand, the artificial intelligence accessibility tool operates quietly in the background. The AI responds to questions from users with disabilities who require accessibility options like keyboard-only navigation or support for screen readers.
4. WP Accessibility Tools Plugin
The WordPress.org website also provides dependable, effective, and user-friendly accessibility plugins. WP Accessibility Tools & Missing Alt Text Finder is one of the finest plugins available for WordPress. This plugin, like WordPress, is an open-source project. Consequently, you can utilize its services and profit from your website without cost.
Additionally, the development team continuously checks the plugin for issues and releases frequent updates. For instance, the most recent version of the tool is 1.4, and it appears that upgrades are released every few months.
In terms of compatibility, the utility is compatible with WordPress versions 4.8 and higher. The plugin has also been tested on WordPress 5.8.4 by the developers. Additionally, the tool is compatible with PHP versions 5.3 and above. Currently, more than 4,000 WordPress sites regularly utilize this plugin, and it has earned a 5-star rating.
Upon closer inspection, you’ll see that the plugin’s sole purpose is to assist you in meeting the requirements of Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to the creators, it also includes a nifty little automated checklist that highlights any and all of your website’s flaws that prevent it from meeting the requirements of WCAG 2.1.
As a result, the app needs to perform a thorough audit of the accessibility settings and offer up solutions. However, you’ll have to make such adjustments on your own or work with a web developer to put them into effect. The plugin does accessibility auditing and provides quick fixes such as:
You can add alt text, captions, and descriptions to photographs individually or all at once.
A contrast ratio tester is integrated with the device.
You can utilize the tool and rely on other changes to accomplish accessibility compliance; it does not offer many functions but is pretty decent because it is an open-source plugin.
5. Equalize Digital Plugin
Another reliable instrument for accessibility testing and repair is Equalize Digital. Learn about problems with your WordPress site by using its accessibility audit tool, which you can use for free or for a small fee. The next step is to meet with a coder to discuss fixing the issues you’ve found. Equalize Digital also offers a service to remediate accessibility issues in existing designs, bringing them up to date and making websites accessible to a wider range of users.
Scanning for problems, keeping an eye on things to make sure they’re running smoothly, and documenting how accessible a website or portal is, are all part of an accessibility audit to-do’s. The real-time nature of the scanning also means that you can continue adding content, tweaking the theme, and installing new plugins without interrupting the tool’s monitoring of the site.
6. Accessibility Suite Plugin
Another plugin with a solid 4-star rating on the WordPress plugin store is the Accessibility Suite, which can be downloaded directly from the WordPress.org website. The plugin has been verified to work up to and including WordPress CMS 5.8.4 on the WordPress plugins directory. More than a thousand live installations have been protected thus far.
As an auditing tool, this accessibility plugin is invaluable. You can use the WordPress scanner to find problems with accessibility according to a variety of guidelines. To address those, though, you’ll either need to hire a developer or switch to a different WordPress plugin.
A Few Last Words
Internet resources that cater to the general public must now prioritize making their content accessible to people with disabilities. Additionally, if a website relies on visitors to make money, it needs to adhere to accessibility standards in order to draw in a large audience.
Accessibility is a top priority for current developers, therefore they build it in from the start. Developers are also employed by website owners to perform routine maintenance, as well as to make updates and add new content that is both functional and accessible.
WordPress users have a leg up on those using competing platforms. Adding accessibility features is a simple task that does not require a programmer’s assistance. Any of the aforementioned resources can be used to easily render your website usable by people with a range of impairments.
An accessible approach to designing a site is beneficial for all users, regardless of the technologies being used to interact with your website. At AEL Data, we have a team of specialists who carefully audit each web page to identify accessibility issues and remediate them. Contact us if you need help with the same at info@aeldata.com
