Answer ·

How do you pass WCAG 2.2 AA on WordPress without ripping out the theme?

The retrofit playbook. Manual checklist + axe-core + the five plugins that won't pass NVDA.

The retrofit playbook. Manual checklist + axe-core + the five plugins that won’t pass NVDA.

Five-step retrofit

  1. Run axe-core on every template. Fix the automated issues first (40% of the work). Don’t waste manual SR time on issues a script can find.
  2. NVDA + keyboard pass on five key flows. Homepage, primary CTA, contact form, search, an inner content page. Document by template, not by issue.
  3. Replace the five plugins that don’t pass NVDA: Elementor’s pop-ups, Slider Revolution, Smush’s lazy-load fallbacks, WPForms’ Smart Tags, and any “accessibility plugin” claiming instant compliance. List of theme-code replacements available on request.
  4. Lock down the editor. Every block needs an alt-text field that’s required, not optional. Every link gets a “where does this lead?” prompt for screen-reader users.
  5. Document the conformance. Statement page, evidence trail (axe-core CI logs, manual test dates, tools used), known-issues log with target remediation dates.

What you don’t have to do

Tear out the theme. AA is achievable on any well-written theme. The decision is whether the theme is well-written — which is a separate audit.