Today’s content management systems (CMS) have made the process of updating a website easier than ever. However, this also means that many different people may be involved in uploading and editing your site’s content. While the average employee doesn’t need to know the nuts and bolts of digital accessibility, anyone involved with the website needs to understand how to upload accessible content. For example, everyone should know how to add alternative text to an image so that people using a screen reader understand the meaning that image conveys.

From an accessibility perspective, the safest bet is often to create your website using a default template that is certified as accessible. WordPress, for instance, maintains a list of Accessibility-Ready Themes. Regardless of the template you pick, you need to conduct regular accessibility audits of your website.

A great starting point for understanding the basics of website accessibility is PEAT’s 10 Tips for An Accessible Website. For more advanced users, we also maintain a short list of resources for web developers.

Additional resources

Accessibility: An Overview of the Why, What, and How of Web Accessibility | W3C

Introduction to Web Accessibility | WebAim

Platform-Specific Guidance for Content Management Systems

WordPress Accessibility

Make WordPress Accessible

Drupal Accessibility

Joomla Accessibility