WCAG 2.2 vs Reality: A Practical Guide to Making Your WordPress Site Actually Accessible

06/02/2025

Let’s face a hard truth: despite WCAG guidelines existing since 1999, a staggering 96.3% of websites still fail basic accessibility standards. And with recent legal developments, website accessibility isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s increasingly a legal necessity.

For WordPress site owners, this creates a challenging situation. You’ve likely heard of WCAG 2.2 compliance, but translating those technical specifications into a genuinely accessible WordPress site can feel overwhelming.

At //TECHYSCOUTS, we’ve helped hundreds of businesses transform their WordPress sites from accessibility nightmares into inclusive experiences. Today, we’re sharing our practical, no-nonsense approach to WordPress accessibility that goes beyond checkboxes to create sites that actually work for all users.

Why Most WordPress Accessibility Solutions Fall Short

Many WordPress site owners have tried to address accessibility in one of these ways:

The Plugin Band-Aid: Installing an accessibility widget that promises instant compliance but mostly just adds a toolbar with basic adjustments.

The Audit-Only Approach: Getting a comprehensive report of violations but no practical implementation plan.

The Legal Minimum: Addressing only the most visible issues while ignoring deeper structural problems.The results? Sites that technically check some compliance boxes but remain frustrating—or impossible—for users with disabilities to navigate.

Wondering how accessible your WordPress site really is? Get a free accessibility report from our team and discover what real-world users experience on your site.

The Three-Layer Approach to WordPress Accessibility

Rather than viewing accessibility as a single checklist, we’ve found success by addressing it in three distinct layers:

Layer 1: Technical Foundation

The bedrock of accessibility starts with your WordPress theme and structure:

  • Semantic HTML: Ensuring your theme uses proper heading hierarchy (H1→H6) and semantic elements
  • Keyboard Navigation: Making all functionality available without requiring a mouse
  • ARIA Implementation: Adding appropriate attributes when HTML alone isn’t sufficient
  • Color Contrast: Meeting minimum contrast ratios (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text)

Layer 2: Content Accessibility

Even with a solid technical foundation, your content itself must be accessible:

  • Alt Text Strategy: Descriptive alternatives for images that serve both accessibility and SEO
  • Link Purpose Clarity: Making link destinations clear without relying on “click here” or visual context
  • Form Labels: Properly associating labels with form fields
  • Table Structure: Adding proper headers and captions for data tables
  • Document Organization: Using clear page structure with descriptive headings

Layer 3: User Experience Accessibility

The often-overlooked final layer goes beyond technical compliance to create genuinely inclusive experiences:

  • Reading Level Considerations: Simplifying complex content when possible
  • Error Prevention: Helping users avoid mistakes in forms and interactions
  • Multiple Navigation Options: Providing various ways to find content
  • Progressive Enhancement: Ensuring core functionality works even when advanced features fail

Want to make your WordPress site accessible beyond just technical compliance? Our team specializes in creating genuinely inclusive digital experiences. Schedule a consultation →

Case Study: Accessibility Transformation

A professional services client approached us after receiving a demand letter regarding their WordPress site’s inaccessibility. They had previously:

  1. Installed an accessibility overlay plugin
  2. Run an automated scan and fixed “critical” issues
  3. Added an accessibility statement

Despite these efforts, their site remained inaccessible to screen reader users and those with motor disabilities.

Our approach:

  • Implemented theme-level adjustments to fix navigation and focus issues
  • Restructured their content organization and form implementations
  • Created a custom editorial workflow for maintaining accessibility

Results:

  • 100% compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA standards
  • 83% reduction in keyboard navigation time to core functions
  • Positive feedback from user testing with screen readers
  • Legal complaint dismissed

The client now sees accessibility not as a legal burden but as a business advantage, with improved SEO performance and expanded market reach as valuable side effects.

Five Practical Steps to Start Today

While comprehensive accessibility requires expertise, here are five actions you can take today:

  1. Run a baseline test using the free WAVE browser extension to identify critical issues
  2. Check your heading structure to ensure logical organization (H1 → H2 → H3, not skipping levels)
  3. Test keyboard navigation by trying to access all features without a mouse
  4. Review your forms to ensure every field has a proper label
  5. Add meaningful alt text to all informational images

Each of these steps addresses issues that affect real users daily, making them high-impact starting points.s roughly 70% of the benefits of a full design system while allowing for evolution as your needs become clearer.

Beyond Compliance: The Business Case

Accessibility isn’t just about avoiding legal issues—it delivers tangible business benefits:

  • Expanded audience: Over 1 billion people worldwide have disabilities
  • Improved SEO: Many accessibility improvements directly enhance search visibility
  • Better usability for everyone: Features like clear navigation and form labels help all users
  • Mobile performance gains: Accessible sites typically perform better on mobile devices

Our clients consistently find that addressing accessibility holistically improves overall site metrics, with an average 17% increase in time on site and 23% improvement in conversion rates.

Ready to make your WordPress site truly accessible for all users? Our accessibility specialists can help transform compliance challenges into business opportunities. Let’s talk about your site →

References

  1. WebAIM. (2023). “The WebAIM Million.” WebAIM. https://webaim.org/projects/million/
  2. W3C. (2023). “Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.” W3C. https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
  3. UsableNet. (2024). “ADA Web Accessibility Lawsuit Report.” UsableNet. https://blog.usablenet.com/2023-ada-web-accessibility-lawsuit-report
  4. WordPress Accessibility Team. (2023). “Accessibility in WordPress.” WordPress.org. https://make.wordpress.org/accessibility/
  5. Nielsen Norman Group. (2023). “Accessibility: Beyond Compliance.” NNGroup. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/accessibility-beyond-compliance/