Twenty Twenty-Two Is the First Default Block Theme to Get Tagged as Accessibility-Ready – WP Tavern
After a seven-month lengthy effort throughout a number of contributor groups, the Twenty Twenty-Two (TT2) default theme shall be tagged as “Accessibility-Prepared” when WordPress 6.1 ships in November. It’s the first block theme to satisfy the necessities for gaining this distinction. Throughout its growth the theme was additionally examined and found to meet WCAG AA level accessibility requirements.
The accessibility-ready tag may be utilized to themes within the listing which have efficiently accomplished an accessibility audit for the minimal necessities established by the Themes staff. Theme authors are inspired to exceed these necessities, that are specified by a tiered set of required and recommended tips.
It is very important observe that themes tagged as accessibility-ready don’t essentially meet any level of formal accessibility requirements, as these measurements apply to content material and can’t be utilized to a theme.
Getting the tag added to Twenty Twenty-Two was delayed due to a couple points that required collaboration throughout groups. One of many essential ones was the theme having multiple H1 headings per web page. Though WCAG tips don’t prohibit multiple H1 on a web page, the accessibility-ready tips required no multiple H1 per web page. Some contributors within the dialogue urged that the necessities wanted to vary.
“The rationale the theme accessibility-ready tips are stricter than WCAG is usually for readability: the rules have been written to be simply testable and express,” Accessibility Crew contributor Joe Dolson commented on the ticket.
“The purpose being that we couldn’t present intensive accessibility coaching to theme reviewers, so we would have liked the principles to be as slim as potential. So long as we replace the rules in a means that also meets that standards, I believe it will be nice.”
The Themes and Accessibility groups reached a consensus on how the accessibility-ready tag will apply to dam themes so contributors might transfer ahead with including the tag.
“We must always understand that a breakage to the accessibility of WordPress block output will affect all block themes, so these failures are fairly severe, however because it stands now the theme meets all anticipated standards,” Dolson said.
The WordPress Themes Listing at present has simply 94 themes tagged as “accessibility-ready” and solely two of them even have support for full-site editing – Jace by Themes Crew contributor Carolina Nymark, and W3CSSPress by Matteo Marchiori. Twenty Twenty-Two shall be becoming a member of them on November 1, 2022, the anticipated launch date of of WordPress 6.1.
