If you cannot find an affordable, qualified web developer to build an accessible website, then you resort to using a content management system (CMS) to create it. Of course, the CMS must be accessible. It must allow you to assign text equivalents to images, implement labelled form fields, and ensure keyboard accessibility to all user interface components.
A great place to start searching for an accessible CMS is CMS Matrix. After selecting the CMS products that you wish to compare, select “WAI Compliant” (Web Accessibility Initiative” as comparison criteria. Since the matrix has over 1200 CMS, the most popular ones were selected. The major drawback of the comparison system is some of the data is out of data.
According to the CMS Matrix, TYPO3 Enterprise is the most accessible popular CMS. All updated versions of Typo3 will be accessible by default. TYPO3’s Government Package conforms to HTML 5, making websites that implement it more keyboard accessible and more screen reader friendly. For example, images have alternative text, headings have structures, and videos have captions. Sections of a website can be identified <header>, <nav>, etc. so screen reader users can navigate to them easily.
WordPress, the most popular CMS in the world, is trying to become as accessible as possible. The CMS Matrix indicates that WordPress in 2012 had limited WAI compliance. However, its developers recently announced that they will make every effort to comply with Level AA of WCAG 2. If this goal is realized completely, more accessible websites will be created.
Specifically, the implementation of WCAG 2.0 specifications will make certain themes “”. That means keyboard focus will become more visible to track when users tab through links. “Click here” and “more” as link names will be replaced with titles that are more informative. Users also will be able to access menus with the keyboard. Additionally, content (e.g. headings, lists) will be more structured so screen reader users can follow page flow more easily.
Keep in mind, though, that not all themes are “” since WordPress does not require developers to submit their work for an accessibility review. Since WordPress is committed to complying with WCAG 2, then it will make accessibility reviews mandatory for all new themes by the end of 2016. Currently, WordPress welcomes customers to contact theme owners to ask them to make their work accessible, or develop customer-created accessible themes themselves.
Drupal, another popular CMS, also showed limited WAI compliancy when its status on CMS Matrix lasted updated in 2012. Since then, Drupal has developed an Accessibility Module that lets customers test their websites for accessibility issues that include the lack of text equivalents from images and unlabeled form fields. The Drupal administration pages and templates already have implemented accessibility standards such as structured headings, labeled forms, and skip navigation.
Like Drupal, Joomla was rated with limited WAI compliancy four years ago on the CMS Matrix. Since then, the open source CMS has made great strides in made itself accessible. Extensions such as embedded screen readers can be installed on Joomla websites so users who are blind or have vision impairments can press a button to listen to content. The screen reader plugin also has magnification capabilities. Another Joomla extension called B-Accessibility enables keyboard navigation, underlines links, and controls contrast.
Besides the extensions, Joomla also has an accessibility template called Zhong that complies with W3C specifications. All of the interfaces that can be created in the template are keyboard accessible. Sections are structured with heading tags and ARIA markup so screen reader users can navigate content easily. ARIA is also used to make dynamic content more accessible to them.
Companies should not fret about hiring expensive web developers to make their websites compliant. With a wide range of accessibility options offered by top-ranking CMS, accessible websites can be a breeze to create.
Created by: Rosemary Musachio, Ruh Global Communications, Chief Strategy Officer