Web accessibility is important, but many developers writing plugins and themes are told to “make the masses happy”. So to get them to focus on web accessibility, we have to be noisy about it.
When you find problems in plugins and themes, be loud. Post up problems on WordPress.org repositories. Post up problems on social media. Not comfortable being loud? You can still send private email correspondence. The more times plugin and theme developers hear people asking about accessibility, the more they will think about it.
Plugin and theme developers want to know why you didn’t choose their plugin. And many of them won’t make any changes unless they know they are losing customers and why.
When it comes to free plugins, many developers don’t have the knowledge or testers to check for issues. This is where you as a customer come in. Help to identify & educate developers about what is needed.
Most developers I’ve found to be open to finding out about issues with their plugins. I’ve had very productive interactions with several of them. Max Mega Menu for example has implemented several of my requests into their plugin. It’s one of the reasons why I continue to use & recommend their plugin.
Here is a template you can use, just pop in the specifics. The portion for you to fill in is between the square brackets [].
First check for an accessibility policy
More developers are starting to include accessibility information and policies on their website. So be sure to check their site for accessibility information. For example, WS Form lists what they have included for their accessibility.
Send an email inquiring about their accessibility
Hi,
I’m looking for a plugin to do [problem you are trying to solve]. It looks like you have [name of plugin] which would likely work for me.
I looked on your website and didn’t see information about your plugin’s accessibility. Can you please send over information on how you ensure that your plugin meets WCAG standards?
As you may have heard, there are more and more laws going into effect around the world to ensure that websites are usable for all people, especially those with challenges. We are only looking to include plugins on our websites that meet WCAG standards so we don’t lose business because people can’t use our website.
Please let me know what approach your company takes to ensure web accessibility in your products.