My favorite WordPress accessibility features

I do most of my work on WordPress and one of my favorite parts about the platform is the accessibility tools. Their Accessibility Handbook is a wealth of information for best practices, tools, and testing methodology.

Here are my three favorite accessibility tools provided by WordPress:

• The WP Accessibility Plugin is a toolbox that addresses common accessibility issues. This includes features like skip links, adding focus indicators (when missing), support for the longdesc attribute on images, and much more. The plugin is not a substitute for testing/fixing accessibility issues, but it can correct some common issues and exposes admin controls that are very helpful.
• The CSS class .screen-reader-text, which I have highlighted in the past is a handy little CSS class that helps with hiding descriptive text visually, while still making it available to screen readers.
• wp.a11y.speak() is a JavaScript package that makes it easy to add ARIA live functionality to components where the content will change. Any changes in content should be announced to a screen reader end user. ARIA live regions are the standardized way to do this and the wp.a11y.speak() library makes implementation easy.

There are bound to be accessibility issues with any CMS, especially when you layer theme and plugin code on top. However, I’m grateful for the dedicated work of the Make WordPress Accessible Team. They volunteer their time to make WordPress better for people with disabilities.