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WordPress Accessibility Compliance Guide

Audit and fix WordPress accessibility issues to achieve WCAG 2.1 AA compliance with automated testing, manual review, and remediation plans.

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You are a WordPress accessibility specialist. Help me achieve WCAG 2.1 AA compliance for a government services portal WordPress site.

Step 1: Run an automated accessibility audit using axe DevTools + WAVE. Scan 10 representative pages including: the homepage, a blog post, a form page, a media-heavy page, and the services application form. For each issue found, categorize by WCAG criterion (e.g., 1.1.1 Non-text Content, 2.4.7 Focus Visible), severity (critical, major, minor), and affected element (selector or component). Generate a prioritized remediation backlog sorted by impact and effort.

Step 2: Audit the active theme (Flavor theme (custom)) for structural accessibility. Check: proper heading hierarchy (single H1, sequential H2-H6), landmark roles (header, nav, main, footer, aside), skip navigation link at the top of the page, language attribute on the html element, responsive viewport configuration, and color contrast ratios meeting 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text minimum. For each failure, provide the exact file, line number, and the fix. If the theme is a third-party theme, create a child theme with the accessibility overrides.

Step 3: Fix form accessibility across the site. Audit all forms (contact, search, login, service request, complaint submission, appointment booking). For each form, ensure: every input has a visible label element with a matching for/id pair, required fields are marked with aria-required="true" and visual indicators, error messages are associated with their fields via aria-describedby, form validation errors are announced to screen readers using aria-live="polite", focus moves to the first error on submission, and CAPTCHA has an accessible alternative.

Step 4: Audit and fix media accessibility. For all images: add descriptive alt text (empty alt="" for decorative images), ensure complex images have long descriptions. For all videos: add captions (SRT/VTT format), provide audio descriptions for visual-only content, and ensure the video player (default WordPress video block) is keyboard accessible. For all audio content: provide transcripts. Create a content editor guide with alt text writing guidelines and provide 10 examples of good vs bad alt text for the site's content types.

Step 5: Fix keyboard navigation and focus management. Ensure all interactive elements are reachable via Tab key in a logical order. Test all 15 interactive components (dropdowns, modals, accordions, carousels, mobile menu) for: keyboard operability (Enter/Space to activate, Escape to close), visible focus indicators with 3px solid outline with 2px offset in brand color styling, focus trapping inside modals, and focus restoration when modals close. Fix any custom JavaScript that intercepts keyboard events or moves focus unexpectedly.

Step 6: Create an ongoing accessibility maintenance plan. Set up Siteimprove for automated weekly scans with regression alerts. Train 8 content editors on accessible content creation (heading use, alt text, link text, table markup). Create an accessibility statement page for the site. Implement a feedback mechanism where users can report accessibility barriers. Schedule quarterly manual audits using screen readers (NVDA (Windows) + VoiceOver (Mac)) to catch issues automated tools miss.

What this prompt does

This prompt makes the model a WordPress accessibility specialist driving a [site_type] site to [compliance_level]. It runs six stages: an automated audit with [audit_tool], a theme structure review of [theme_name], form fixes, media fixes, keyboard and focus management, and an ongoing maintenance plan.

The audit scans [page_count] representative pages including the [critical_page], categorizing each issue by WCAG criterion, severity, and affected element into a prioritized backlog. The theme review checks heading hierarchy, landmark roles, skip links, and contrast against [contrast_ratio]. Form work enforces label/id pairs and aria-describedby error wiring; media work covers alt text, captions, and transcripts; and the keyboard pass tests [interactive_count] components for operability and visible [focus_style] focus.

The prompt is honest about the limits of tooling, which is what makes it credible. Automated scans catch only a fraction of real barriers, so it pairs [audit_tool] with manual [screen_reader] testing using [screen_reader] to catch what tools miss. Each issue carries a WCAG criterion, a severity, and an affected element, producing a backlog sorted by impact and effort rather than a flat dump of warnings. The final stage turns compliance into a habit with [monitoring_tool] regression scans, editor training, an accessibility statement, and a feedback channel, so the site does not quietly regress after the next content update.

When to use it

  • You must bring a site to [compliance_level], often for legal or procurement reasons.
  • An automated scan flagged issues and you need them triaged and fixed.
  • Your theme [theme_name] has structural problems like bad heading order or low contrast.
  • Forms lack proper labels and screen-reader error handling.
  • Interactive components fail keyboard navigation or focus trapping.
  • You want ongoing monitoring and editor training, not a one-time pass.

Example output

Expect an audit-plus-remediation package: a prioritized backlog from [audit_tool] across [page_count] pages tagged by WCAG criterion and severity, theme fixes for [theme_name] with file and line references (or a child theme for overrides), form corrections with label/id and aria-describedby wiring, media guidance with [example_count] good-vs-bad alt-text examples, a keyboard pass over [interactive_count] components using [focus_style] indicators, and a maintenance plan with [monitoring_tool] scans plus [screen_reader] manual audits.

Pro tips

  • Treat the automated scan as a starting point; pair it with [screen_reader] testing, since tools miss roughly the issues that matter most to real users.
  • Fix contrast at the theme level against [contrast_ratio] rather than patching colors page by page.
  • Wire form errors with aria-describedby and aria-live so they are announced, not just shown.
  • Use empty alt="" for decorative images; alt text on every image is not the goal, accurate alt text is.
  • Test focus trapping and restoration on every modal among the [interactive_count] components, not just the obvious ones.
  • Schedule recurring [monitoring_tool] scans so fixes do not regress after the next content update.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an automated tool enough to reach WCAG compliance?
No, and the prompt is explicit about this. Automated scans from `[audit_tool]` catch a portion of issues, but reaching `[compliance_level]` requires manual `[screen_reader]` testing of keyboard flows and focus, since tools miss the nuance that affects real users most.
What if my theme is a third-party theme I cannot edit directly?
For a third-party `[theme_name]`, the prompt creates a child theme to hold the accessibility overrides rather than modifying the parent. This keeps your fixes safe from theme updates while still correcting heading order, landmarks, and contrast.
How are form errors made accessible?
Each input gets a matching label via for/id, required fields are marked with `aria-required`, and error messages are associated with their fields through `aria-describedby` and announced with `aria-live`. Focus also moves to the first error on submission so screen-reader users find it.
Does it cover keeping the site compliant over time?
Yes. The final stage sets up `[monitoring_tool]` for weekly scans with regression alerts, trains `[editor_count]` content editors, adds an accessibility statement and feedback channel, and schedules quarterly manual audits with `[screen_reader]` tools.
Engr Mejba Ahmed

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Engr Mejba Ahmed

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