Accessibility should be a top priority when building a website. However, things can degrade over time. Clients adding content could forget basics such as ALT attributes and logical heading order. Best practices often fall through the cracks as a site ages. Thus, every website requires vigilance.
Part of the challenge is that it’s not always easy to identify accessibility issues. It often requires digging deeper to find and fix them. This is where the right WordPress plugin can be useful.
Some plugins allow users to adjust visual elements like font size and color contrast. Even better, some scan your content and alert you to problems. You might be surprised to find out how many issues can pop up in your theme and other installed plugins. The results may lead you to consider different options.
With that in mind, let’s look at some of the best WordPress accessibility plugins on the market. They won’t fix every issue, but they can help you learn and improve your site.
Accessibility Checker isn’t a band-aid for your site’s shortcomings. However, it will add missing skip links, focus outlines, and form labels upon request. It also scans your site’s content and creates a laundry list of potential issues. It catches common problems, such as ambiguous link text and missing ALT attributes.
Like all automated tools, you may find some false-positive results. As such, a manual inspection is required to verify them. But the plugin offers tips for fixing any issues it finds. The free version scans your site’s pages and posts, while the pro version includes custom post types and other handy features.
Use WP Accessibility to fix common issues, such as missing language/text direction attributes, missing ARIA labels for navigation, and viewports that don’t scale. It will also enforce ALT attributes in the editor and identify media with missing descriptive text.
These are optional and can be activated as needed. The other big feature here is a front-end toolbar that controls page zooming and color contrast. This gives users more control over how they view your site.
We’re starting to see AI used for a variety of purposes, including accessibility improvements. Alt Text AI automatically analyzes uploaded images and generates an ALT description.
The feature can save you a lot of time and effort – just be sure to double-check to ensure the description is accurate. Note that the plugin requires purchasing AI “credits” to work. There’s a free trial for trying the plugin before you buy.
Are you looking to provide visitors with accessibility options? This plugin adds a widget with a variety of optional feature modules. Users can change the font size and contrast. But there are also tools for switching to a dyslexia-friendly font, highlighting titles, and pausing animations.
You’ll also find a feature that helps you create an accessibility statement. Experiment to see which features will benefit your visitors.
Accessibility is about more than fixing issues – it’s also about adding accessible features. SimpleTOC creates a WCAG 2.2-conforming table of contents for your content. It’s a great way to help users navigate longer pages and blog posts. By default, the plugin adds zero CSS or JavaScript to your site.
Instead, it relies on HTML details and summary tags, which work natively in your browser. When it comes to accessibility, simple is always better.
Media embeds, particularly from third-party services, can be difficult to use. Some are bloated with JavaScript and other code that inhibit accessibility. Able Player offers an accessibility-first solution and implements an HTML5 media player via a configurable shortcode.
It works with locally uploaded files and videos from YouTube and Vimeo. The shortcode offers several options impacting the style and functionality of the player.
Leave No User Behind
Accessibility is not a “nice-to-have” feature – it’s an obligation. It’s also an ongoing process that requires your attention. Thankfully, there are tools to help you find potential issues and fix the most common ones. The WordPress plugins above will help you in your quest. Bonus: Some will add accessible elements that benefit everyone.
No singular plugin can make your site fully accessible. But they can make your job easier. We hope you find a solution to do just that.
Website Accessibility Plugins at a Glance
| Plugin | Description | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility Checker | Scans content for accessibility issues and can add missing skip links, focus outlines, and form labels, with guidance for fixing problems. | Accessibility auditing |
| WP Accessibility | Fixes common accessibility issues and adds front-end controls for page zooming and color contrast. | Accessibility improvements |
| Alt Text AI | Automatically analyzes uploaded images and generates ALT descriptions, with the option to review the generated text for accuracy. | Image ALT text |
| AccessiYes Accessibility Widget | Adds visitor controls for font size, contrast, dyslexia-friendly fonts, highlighted titles, paused animations, and other accessibility options. | Visitor accessibility controls |
| SimpleTOC | Creates a WCAG 2.2-conforming table of contents using native HTML without adding CSS or JavaScript by default. | Accessible content navigation |
| Able Player | Adds an accessibility-focused HTML5 media player for local files, YouTube, and Vimeo using a configurable shortcode. | Accessible media playback |
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