Overview
WordPress Accessibility provides comprehensive training for web professionals responsible for creating and maintaining WordPress sites that work for everyone, including people with disabilities. This two-day course covers the technical and practical skills needed to meet WCAG 2.x, Section 508, and EN 301 549 requirements while working within WordPress’s unique ecosystem of themes, plugins, and content editors.
Participants will learn to evaluate and select accessibility-ready themes, retrofit accessibility improvements into existing sites with or without code access, and create accessible content using both the Gutenberg Block Editor and Classic Editor. Through hands-on exercises with real WordPress installations, you’ll develop the expertise to build accessible sites from the start and maintain accessibility as content evolves.
Format: 2 Days | VILT
Who Should Attend
- Web designers building accessible WordPress sites
- Developers responsible for theme customization and accessibility compliance
- Content creators producing accessible posts and pages
- Site administrators maintaining accessibility across WordPress properties
What You’ll Learn
- Understand accessibility principles and why they matter for WordPress sites
- Apply WCAG 2.x, Section 508, and EN 301 549 requirements to WordPress
- Evaluate and select accessibility-ready WordPress themes
- Retrofit accessibility into existing themes with and without code access
- Create accessible content using the Gutenberg Block Editor
- Apply accessibility best practices in the Classic Editor
- Write effective alt text and implement image accessibility
- Use plugins and tools to identify and remediate accessibility issues
Course Outline
Module 1: WordPress Accessibility Foundations
- Understanding accessibility and its importance for WordPress
- WCAG 2.x principles and success criteria relevant to WordPress
- Section 508 and EN 301 549 compliance requirements
- How assistive technologies interact with WordPress sites
Module 2: Accessible Theme Selection
- Finding and evaluating accessibility-ready themes
- Testing themes for semantic structure and landmarks
- Evaluating keyboard navigation and focus management
- Checking color contrast and visual accessibility
Module 3: Retrofitting Themes for Accessibility
- Accessibility improvements through theme customization
- Modifying PHP, HTML, and CSS for accessibility (for developers)
- Retrofitting without code: plugins and settings-based approaches
- Prioritizing accessibility fixes by impact
Module 4: Gutenberg Block Editor Accessibility
- Accessible content creation in the Block Editor
- Using heading blocks for proper document structure
- Accessible use of columns, media, and interactive blocks
- Block-specific accessibility considerations
Module 5: Classic Editor and Content Accessibility
- Creating accessible content in the Classic Editor
- Proper heading structure and semantic markup
- Link text, lists, and table accessibility
- Image accessibility and alt text best practices
Module 6: Common Failures and Fixes
- Identifying frequent WordPress accessibility failures
- Fixing navigation and menu accessibility issues
- Addressing form accessibility problems
- Resolving media player and embedded content issues
Module 7: Testing Tools and Workflows
- Automated accessibility testing plugins and tools
- Manual testing techniques for WordPress
- Screen reader testing with WordPress sites
- Combining automated and manual testing effectively
Module 8: Maintaining Accessibility Over Time
- Building accessibility into content workflows
- Training content creators on accessibility
- Managing accessibility through theme and plugin updates
- Ongoing monitoring and compliance maintenance
Prerequisites & Technical Requirements
- Minimum one year of WordPress experience
- Familiarity with Gutenberg Block Editor or Classic Editor
- Access to a WordPress installation for hands-on exercises (staging site recommended)
Customization Options
This course can be tailored to your organization’s specific WordPress environment, themes, and compliance requirements. We can focus on Gutenberg or Classic Editor based on your usage, address your particular theme and plugin ecosystem, and develop accessibility workflows aligned with your content governance processes. For teams with developer access, we can include deeper code-level remediation techniques.