{"id":815706,"date":"2018-10-09T11:30:56","date_gmt":"2018-10-09T09:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-rocket.me\/?p=815706"},"modified":"2021-07-29T10:28:24","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T08:28:24","slug":"conduct-accessibility-audit-wordpress-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-rocket.me\/blog\/conduct-accessibility-audit-wordpress-site\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Conduct an Accessibility Audit of Your WordPress Site"},"content":{"rendered":"

Website accessibility<\/span><\/a> is something of a buzzphrase that most developers and designers <\/span>know<\/span><\/i> is really important and is something they should do, but don\u2019t really know how to get started or have the time to put processes in place, so they simply put it off.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fact is, websites that don\u2019t make accessibility a priority are a lawsuit waiting to happen. A 2011 survey by the<\/span> Pew Research Center<\/span><\/a> found that 2%, or 4.7 million, American adults said they suffered from a disability or illness that made it difficult or impossible for them to use the internet. The U.S. Department of Justice, acting on behalf of these citizens, has sued and negotiated millions of dollars in settlements with big brands<\/span> such as Target, Disney and Netflix<\/span><\/a>, for not designing their site to accommodate the browsing needs of disabled customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to law firms<\/span> Seyfarth Shaw<\/span><\/a> and<\/span> Goulston & Storrs<\/span><\/a>, the recent surge in website accessibility lawsuits brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act show<\/span> no signs slowing down<\/span><\/a>. While outside of the U.S., momentum is growing for greater web accessibility, with the European Union setting<\/span> laws for accessibility testing<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

But making your website accessible isn\u2019t just about avoiding lawsuits. It\u2019s the right thing to do\u2014designing and developing sites with an eye to inclusivity means that <\/span>you value and respect all users and people equally<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

With all that in mind, I\u2019m going to walk you through how to conduct an accessibility audit of your website, including tips and tools to help you put in place a process you can use for all your projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Familiarizing Yourself with WCAG 2.0<\/span><\/h2>\n

First things first: Scroll through the W3C\u2019s <\/span>Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0)<\/span><\/a>. There\u2019s a lot to take in, but you don\u2019t need to read it thoroughly, just familiarize yourself with the 12 basic categories and what each entails so you can get a better understanding of what the guidelines involved.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no great exaggeration to say that WCAG 2.0 guidelines will touch on almost every part of your website, from code to content to images. But each guideline has a purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, some of the WCAG 2.0 guidelines cover:<\/span><\/p>\n