Here are the best tested and hand-picked accessible WordPress themes:
The literal meaning of an accessible website is that almost anyone can use the website. Most of us design for the assumption that everyone can see the monitor and use the keyboard and mouse. But that’s not the case; there are people with permanent and temporary impairment. Our website design must meet the needs of all types of people. In this list, we have collected accessible WordPress themes that score 70% and above in the website accessibility testing tool.
If you are a developer, you must aware of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines(WCAG)Web Content Accessibility Guidelines(WCAG). The four principles used in the WCAG is generally called as the “POUR”.
P – Perceivable (making the contents perceivable for all users)
O – Operable (making sure that the navigation and other interactions with the website is easy to use)
U – Understandable (making the interface understandable and consistent throughout the website)
R – Robust (making the contents to work well with the assistive technology)
Since WordPress themes are designed for a mass audience and the demo uses dummy content and links, not all themes can achieve a strong score of 90 or above. There are certain things we have to manually handle, even if we buy accessible WordPress themes with a 100% accessibility test score. For example, operable standards (UI components, keyboard & mouse navigation) for an accessible website must be tested manually.
The accessible WordPress themes in this list meet the Understandable and Robust WCAG standards to a certain extent. Because of the easy customization options in WordPress themes, you can quickly rectify minor errors and ensure your website passes the accessibility test.
Some of the accessible WordPress themes on this list have multiple demos. To easily find a demo that has a better accessibility test score, you can simply use the Chrome browser’s audit tool. All you have to do is to go to the webpage you want to test, then do, right-click >> inspect >> Audit. In the audit select the accessibility checkbox and run the test. Shopify has made a good list for website accessibility test tool, take a look at it if you have any special needs.
Best Accessible WordPress Themes and Website Templates 2022
Squaretype
Squaretype is a cool accessible WordPress blog theme. Having an accessible blog theme will help you reach all types of audiences. Since this theme is designed solely with readability in mind, it easily passes Google accessibility testing. Apart from the accessibility, this theme has all the necessary elements to make a proper blog. You can deliver the content engagingly to the audience using this theme. This theme also includes different post types and dedicated review pages to make it easy for you to share your thoughts with your audience. Speaking of reviews, please take a look at our CSS star rating designs to let your audience express their feelings clearly.
Polyclinic
Polyclinic is a simple, Accessible WordPress theme. The bold texts make readability easier, evenfor persons with eyesight deficiency can use this theme. Visual effects are used in this theme, but not in the important content area, so that people using screen reader tools can interact with your website easily. In addition to accessibility features, this theme also covers the basics of a medical website. Hence, normal users will also enjoy using your website. The long homepage gives you ample space to list all important content in one place. Color combinations are used effectively to present content elegantly and neatly to all types of audiences. This theme uses the Beaver Builder page builder to let you make simple customizations yourself.
Dox
When you hear the work accessible design, it doesn’t mean that the design has to be dull and clunky. You can create beautiful, modern designs that still comply with accessibility guidelines. The Dox is one such theme that has a modern design without any compromise in accessibility. This is a multipurpose WordPress theme that has themes for personal websites and business websites. It is always recommended to go for a minimal design so the people with visual and cognitive impairment can easily use your website. Nearly twenty demo variations are given in this theme and all of them have a neat minimal design. This theme supports all major page builders, but it doesn’t support one out of the box; Which might be a bummer for a few users.
Hongo
Hongo is a contemporary style shopping website template made for modern users. Balancing modern design with accessibility criteria is difficult. But the creators have made a reasonably accessible, friendly online store design. Some important section texts are made small for visual aesthetics — this might be something you need to fix. Since this theme is powered by the WPBakery page builder, front-end customizations can be made easily without touching any code. Another thing you have to remember when making an accessible online store is to add proper tags and alt attributes to the product images.
Monument Valley
Monument Valley is one of the few pure, accessible WordPress themes that support online stores. This theme is designed for both business and online store websites, hence you can use it for any professional website. Very mild animation effects are used in this theme, so all kinds of people can use this theme without any worries. Since this theme is also from the same creator of the Polyclinic theme mentioned above, it uses the Beaver page builder. And, of course, it supports a WooCommerce store out of the box to help you set up a proper online store. All the basic inner and shopping pages are included in this theme, so you can set up a proper website in no time.
Webify
Webify is a multipurpose modern website template. The creator has given 50+ demo variations in this pack. Each demo is unique and is designed for different types of websites. Since all demo variations use lots of white space and a clear background, they get a good score in the Google accessibility testing. On the clean white background, the text and images are clearly visible, making it easy for users to interact with your website. This theme uses the Elementor page builder for front-end customizations. You can edit almost everything using the Elementor tool. If you are looking for accessible WordPress themes to make a user-friendly business website, this is the best option for you.
Icelander
Icelander accessible WordPress themes are for portfolio websites. The creator has given website designs for both business and freelancer websites. With a simple flat design, this theme manages to arrange all the contents in a proper structure. If the user is using a screen reader, designs like this will help them easily interact with your content. Bright colors are used at the required spot to increase the visibility of the important elements. Ribbons are used smartly to distinguish special elements from regular elements. Take a look at our CSS ribbon design collection for more attractive designs. This theme also supports the Beaver Builder page builder and WooCommerce store out of the box, making your life easier on your website.
Shopkeeper
Shopkeeper, from the name itself you can understand that this is an eCommerce website theme. As online purchasing is increasing, improving the accessibility of your website will help you reach more audience. To make your website user-friendly for all types of audiences, accessible WordPress themes like this will be more helpful. More than 11 variations are offered in this theme, and all of them feature a simple, elegant design. This theme supports the popular WPBakery page builder, so you can expect the same level of friendly customization options you have seen in other WordPress themes. This eCommerce store is powered by WooCommerce, with all the basic pages pre-designed for you. All you have to do is choose the version you like and start editing it as per your demands.
Muse
Muse is an accessible WordPress theme for music-related websites. When it comes to audio and video content, we have different accessibility guidelines. For videos, we have to add captions and time-synchronized descriptions. And for audio content, we have to provide a description. Since this a theme designed for all types of audience, you can’t expect all the accessibility guidelines boxes checked. But you have elements and easy customization options to make the website accessible for all types of users. Seven homepage variations are given in this theme, and all of them have a pleasant design. Like the Dox theme mentioned above, this theme also supports all major page builders, but it doesn’t support one out of the box.
Avada
Avada is one of the best-selling WordPress themes in the market. Most of the features in this theme are developed in-house, so you get better integrations and plenty of customization options. For example, this theme uses its own page builder, Fusion Builder. You cannot only drag and drop the elements, but you can also do other customizations related to the elements. Since this is a multipurpose theme, it has plenty of pre-made demos. A few of them have a good accessibility score, while a few have a pretty low one. For example, the Barber and Spa theme versions have strong 80+ scores. Thanks to strong customer support and detailed tutorials, you can easily work with this theme. Just pick the one that meets your standard and start working on it.
Linguini
Linguini is a restaurant WordPress theme and it meets the basic standards of accessible WordPress themes. With a clean flat design and subtle animation, this theme is interactive to use for all types of audiences. Letters are made bolder and thicker, so the readability will be good even on mobile devices. Apart from accessibility features, this theme also offers important restaurant website features that today’s users expect. You have an online reservation form and a separate page for the food menu. This theme uses the latest web development framework; you can connect any modern tools to it. This theme supports all major page builders to make your customization job even simpler.
Rib-Eye
Rib-Eye is also a WordPress theme for restaurants and food-related websites. This theme has all the elements, right from the page loading animation to the contact form, you have everything you need. The pristine, clean layout makes this theme an even better option for people with cognitive impairment. Visual effects are used only at the appropriate places to give the website a lively feel. You get useful options, such as an online reservation form and an email newsletter subscription form. Speaking of newsletters, if you are into email marketing, take a look at our email templates collection. This theme is compatible with both WoCoommerce and Easy Digital Download plugins. By making a few optimizations, you can integrate the eCommerce platform you want.
Ginger
The Ginger theme is from the same creator as the Rib-Eye theme mentioned above. You can expect the same level of design quality and code quality. While writing this theme, it has elven demo variations and all of them follows a minimal design layout. You even get a dark theme version in this theme. Mostly card elements are used in this theme to present your foods elegantly to the audience. Plus, the clean, minimal layout lets the users feel your food before visiting you in person. This theme is compatible with all major plugins and tools. By spending a few hours, you can turn this theme into a fully functional restaurant website.
Yvy
Yvy is a blog and magazine WordPress theme. Since blog and magazine content is accessed by people of all types, improving your site’s accessibility is a good idea. In addition to the blog and magazine WordPress theme, you also get a demo version of the shop and architect website in this package. The default font itself is big and easy to read. Increasing the default font size will give you an even better result. This theme uses the latest CSS3 framework, hence it supports all modern fonts. In a demo version, the subscribe button is given right next to the blog name, which is a good idea. But you have to experiment it yourself to know whether this design works for you or not.
Salmon
Salmon WordPress theme is from the same creators of the Rib-Eye theme mentioned above. This one is also a restaurant WordPress theme. If you like the accessibility quality of the Rib-Eye theme, but want a different layout, this is the one for you. A shop page is also given in this theme to sell your products and merchandise. All the spaces are used effectively in this theme, so you can present the content elegantly to users. This one is a light-weight theme with subtle animation effects. So you can expect a fluid performance on both mobile and desktop devices.
Savoy
If you are looking for an accessible WordPress theme with minimal design, the Savoy is a good option. The clean, minimal design of this theme presents your products elegantly to your audience. Hover effects are used smartly to give a quick preview of the product. The creator has also provided a user login form, but this theme lacks a user dashboard. Take a look at our free dashboard template collection to easily manage your users. This theme uses the latest HTML5 and the Bootstrap framework; therefore, it supports all modern third-party templates. This eCommerce store is bundled with useful plugins such as WPBakery Page Builder, WooCommerce, and WPML.
BeTheme
If you are a digital agency, you must be familiar with BeTheme. With more than 450 pre-made templates, this theme has designs for all famous categories. Like the Avada theme, this one also has a well-written codebase. Some of the demo version even has a good accessibility website score. For example, the photography theme version has a decent score of 70+ in the Google accessibility audit. Big elements and pitch-black texts on the clean white background makes the photography theme version easy to interact. The creator has given us plenty of customization options and premium plugins in the package. Just pick the theme that closely meets your needs and do further optimizations for better results.
TheGem
TheGem is another best-selling creative multipurpose WordPress theme. This theme includes various design types in its package. Right from the simple, elegant design to the visually appealing, complex modern design, it has everything. Since we are talking about accessibility WordPress themes, the simple and elegant demos in this package will be a good choice for you. For example, the Business Solutions demo in this theme has a professional look with a simple design. Like BeTheme, this one also gets a decent 70+ score in the Google accessibility audit. The friendly customer support and detailed tutorials will help you make a good accessibility website using any theme in this package.
