If Accessibility Checker has flagged problems in your theme or you have discovered accessibility deficiencies in your theme while performing manual accessibility checks, there are a few options for resolving these depending upon the theme you are using and your level of comfort with editing code.
How to Fix Accessibility Problems in Your WordPress Theme if You Are Not a Developer
If you are not a developer or not comfortable editing the code on your website, there are three options for getting accessibility problems in your WordPress theme fixed:
Request Support for Free WordPress Themes
If you’re using a free WordPress theme from the WordPress.org directory, you can submit a support request in the support forum for your theme on WordPress.org. The support forum can be found by:
- Go to the WordPress theme directory.
- Search for your theme by name in the search box.
- When your theme appears, click or follow the link to go to the page with more information on the theme.
- In the theme page sidebar, under the Support heading, there is a link (styled to look like a button” that says “View support forum.”
- You will have to create or log in with a WordPress.org account to post in the support forum.
- Once you have logged into the support forum, you can create a new topic at the bottom of the page. Make sure to give the developer(s) as much information as possible, including a link to your website, to make it easier for them to fix the problem.
Note: Your results may vary with convincing free theme developers to correct accessibility problems. Depending on their knowledge of accessibility, the age of the theme, and how much support they’re offering, they may or may not respond.
Request Support for Premium WordPress Themes
If you’re using a theme that you purchased, you may be able to receive support from the theme developer depending upon how long ago you made the purchase and what their support policies are.
If your website uses a premium theme, your best bet is to first check the website of the theme developer or any third-party marketplaces where you may have purchased the theme to see what their support policy is. If you do not have an active support license for your theme, either because you are not on a recurring payment plan or because someone else (like a developer) purchased the theme for you, you may need to purchase the theme again in order to receive support.
If the developer does not provide support or is unable to make the accessibility fix for one reason or another, then you may need to hire a third-party developer to fix the theme for you.
If Available, Use Accessibility Checker’s Automatic Fix
For some issues, Accessibility Checker has an automatic fix available. You can find a full list of available automated fixes listed on our main documentation page. You will always be able to tell if an automatic fix is available because turning on the fix will be listed as an option in multiple places in the interface, including:
- Individual post and page Accessibility Checker report, both in the “…” quick action dropdown and individual issue modal as an accordion below the issue description
- Frontend view will display a “fix issue” option below the description, along with other common options like “show code” and “full documentation”
- Open Issues detail view will display a “fix” option under the list of possible actions for individual issues where applicable (Pro)
Hire a Developer to Fix Your Theme
If the theme developer is unable or unwilling to fix the accessibility issue in your theme and you’re not a developer, then you have two options: you can hire a third-party developer to fix the theme, or you can switch to a different theme.
Choosing to hire a developer to fix your theme is typically a good choice if:
- Your website is relatively new.
- You like the way your website looks and functions, aside from the accessibility issue.
- There are minimal accessibility problems in the theme, and starting over would be considerably more expensive.
When interviewing developers, you’ll want to ask about their experience with accessibility. Not all developers are accessibility experts, and if they don’t have the right knowledge they may not fix the issue(s) on your site correctly.
If you need custom development and accessibility support, Equalize Digital is happy to help. You can request a custom quote for one-time fixes or sign up for a remediation plan.
Resources if You Want to Make Fixes Yourself
If you’re interested in resolving accessibility issues in your WordPress theme yourself, we recommend reviewing the following resources to better understand WordPress theme development.
In particular, you’ll want to review the information on child themes, because if your theme receives updates and you make your fixes directly in that theme, those changes will be lost when updates are run. No one wants to put in a lot of hard work only to have it disappear when the update button is pressed.
Making accessibility fixes in your theme may require HTML, CSS, PHP, and/or JavaScript knowledge depending upon the specific issues present.
Sometimes it’s Better to Start Over
If your WordPress theme has a large number of problems that require significant portions of the theme to be re-coded, there are times when it makes sense to start over with your website and select a new theme that is more accessible or is “accessibility-ready.”
If you’re not sure if you should fix the problems in your theme or if you should choose a new theme, ask yourself these questions:
- Have I been using this theme for a long time?
- Does the cost or time to fix the accessibility issues in the theme exceed the cost or time of choosing a new theme (or hiring a company to build a new theme)?
- Is the theme still meeting my marketing needs, or is it time for a refresh?
- Are there other technical issues in my theme aside from accessibility problems (things like not being Gutenberg compatible, not being mobile responsive, bloat or speed issues, etc.)?
Answering those questions will help you to decide whether to fix the accessibility problems in your current WordPress theme or whether it’s time to build a new accessible website.