ADA Compliance for WordPress: How to Make Your Website Accessible to All

As a website owner, you want to ensure that your site is accessible to as many people as possible. One way to do this is by making your WordPress website ADA compliant. ADA stands for the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is a law that requires businesses to make their physical and digital spaces accessible to people with disabilities. If you have a WordPress site, there are some simple steps you can take to make it ADA compliant.

Use an Accessible Theme

The first step in making your WordPress site ADA compliant is to choose an accessible theme. There are many themes available that are designed to be accessible, and they typically include features such as high contrast options, keyboard navigation, and screen reader compatibility. When choosing a theme, look for one that meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards.

Add Alt Text to Images

Alt text is a brief description of an image that can be read by screen readers. By adding alt text to your images, you can make your site more accessible to people with visual impairments. To add alt text to an image in WordPress, simply click on the image in the editor and enter a description in the “Alt Text” field.

Use Headings and Subheadings

Headings and subheadings make your content easier to navigate for everyone, but they are especially important for people who use screen readers. When creating content in WordPress, be sure to use headings and subheadings to organize your content. Use H1 tags for main headings, H2 tags for subheadings, and so on.

Provide Text Transcripts for Videos

If you have videos on your site, be sure to provide text transcripts. Transcripts are a written version of the video’s audio content, and they can be read by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. They also make your content more accessible to people who have difficulty understanding spoken language.

Ensure Keyboard Accessibility

Some people with disabilities may not be able to use a mouse, so it’s important to ensure that your site can be navigated using a keyboard alone. In WordPress, this means ensuring that all links and form fields can be accessed using the “Tab” key. You can also use the “Skip to Content” link to allow keyboard users to skip over navigation menus and go straight to the main content.

Test Your Site for Accessibility

Finally, it’s important to test your site for accessibility. There are many tools available that can help you identify accessibility issues on your site, including the Accessibility Checker plugin for WordPress. This plugin checks your content for compliance with the WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards and provides suggestions for improving accessibility.

In conclusion, making your WordPress site ADA compliant is an important step in ensuring that your site is accessible to as many people as possible. By using an accessible theme, adding alt text to images, using headings and subheadings, providing text transcripts for videos, ensuring keyboard accessibility, and testing your site for accessibility, you can make your site more accessible to people with disabilities. By taking these steps, you can help ensure that everyone can access and enjoy your content.