Accessibility Team Meeting Notes: December 04, 2025

On Thursday, December 04, 2025, 15:00 UTC, a team meeting started in #accessibility facilitated by Krupa Nanda. You can read the full transcript or see the meeting agenda.

📢 Important Announcement

  • WordPress 6.9 “Gene” is here!
  • State of the Word 2025: Innovation Shaped by Community
  • Updating AccessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) Contributor Badge Criteria
    • There has been a rise in one-off contributors requesting badges, increasing workload for reviewers. The team discussed creating more scalable and meaningful badge criteria. Proposed updates include:
      • Requiring around 5 minor contributions (such as testing, documentation clarifications)
        OR
      • 2 major contributions (significant patches, substantial documentation updates)
  • WordPress 7.0 Admin Redesign – “Coat of Paint”
    • The team discussed the ongoing work toward visually reskinning the WP Admin for 7.0.
    • Key points:
      • Changes are mainly CSSCSS CSS is an acronym for cascading style sheets. This is what controls the design or look and feel of a site. and UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing. refresh, not functional overhauls.
      • The color palette will shift to the GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ palette.
      • This will require heavy accessibility testing, especially around color contrast, design consistency, and any missed regressions due to wide UI updates
      • Checkout TracTrac Trac is the place where contributors create issues for bugs or feature requests much like GitHub.https://core.trac.wordpress.org/. ticket for more details.

Updates from working groups

Docs

@rianrietveld had already shared an update about the docs team beforehand.

  • wpaccessibility.org has a new design and improved search.
  • Feedback from WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Netherlands highlighted the need for “why accessibility matters” resources.
  • Multiple documentation pages have been added or updated recently.

General

The 7.0 milestone is taking shape, following the release of WordPress 6.9. @joedolson had share the post about accessibility improvements in 6.9

Gutenberg

Some major new features like the Tabs blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. have landed and will require accessibility review.

Themes

@joedolson shared that the work is progress on updating theme review guidelines for accessibility. This is expected to be a major documentation focus in December.

NOTE: If you’d like to have a topic added to the agenda for our next meeting, please mention it in the comments on an upcoming agenda.

#accessibility, #meeting-notes

Accessibility Team Meeting Agenda: Dec 04, 2025

This is the proposed agenda for the bi-weekly AccessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) Team meeting on Thursday, December 04, 2025, 15:00 UTC

Updates from the working group

Open floor

If you want to have a topic added to the agenda, please mention it in the comments of this post.

The Accessibility Team bug scrub is every Tuesday at 15:00 UTC, held in the #accessibility channel on the Make WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. (registration required).

#accessibility, #agenda, #meetings

WP A11y Docs update November 2025

This update informs you about:

  • new design and a better search option wpaccessibility.org;
  • contributors feedback on WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Netherlands;
  • new and updated documentation;
  • accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) audit on the website.

New design and a better search option wpaccessibility.org

Jeffrey Lauwers from Vals Plat created a beautiful new design for wpaccessibility.org. He aimed to ensure optimal readability combined with a style that aligns with WordPress. Read his rationale about the new design.

He created also a Wapuu for the project.
Meet the WPA11yPuu!

WPA11yPuu A yellow  bear like creature, holding a black ball with a white accessibility logo, a person with arms wide

@joedolson improved the search: there is an actual search result page now, instead of only a autocomplete dropdown. Rian implemented the design just before WordCamp Netherlands.

Contributors feedback on WordCamp Netherlands

At WCNL Rian gave a presentation about the project and there were two contributor sessions. The main takeaway was that we also need a more prominent section about why we need accessibility. To have documentation to share with clients, team members or, for example, stackholders that do not see the point.

New and updated documentation

Accessibility audit on the website

In the first week of December, Florian Schroiff (@floll) from Level Level will perform a WCAG-EM accessibility audit on the website, including the new design and the updated search option. We will fix what he found in December, because we want to practice what we preach.

Plans for December 2025

#wp-a11y-docs

X-post: WordPress 6.9 Field Guide

X-comment from +make.wordpress.org/core: Comment on WordPress 6.9 Field Guide

X-post: Accessibility Improvements in WordPress 6.9

X-comment from +make.wordpress.org/core: Comment on Accessibility Improvements in WordPress 6.9

Accessibility Team Meeting Notes: Nov 13, 2025

On Thursday, November 13, 2025, 15:00 UTC, a team meeting started in #accessibility facilitated by Nasim Miah. You can read the full transcript or see the meeting agenda.

Biweekly Team Meeting Time Update

The bi-weekly chat meeting time has changed to alternate Thursdays at 15:00 UTC, and the meeting calendar is also updated.

Updates from working groups

Documentation:

@joedolson shared a documentation update on behalf of @rianrietveld:

  • wpaccessibility.org now has a proper search function.
  • Several documentation updates about webforms are under review and expected to be published soon.
  • The new “Debunking accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) myths” page is available here: https://wpaccessibility.org/docs/start/myths/overlays/
  • Rian is also working on implementing the new design, after which the WCAGWCAG WCAG is an acronym for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. These guidelines are helping make sure the internet is accessible to all people no matter how they would need to access the internet (screen-reader, keyboard only, etc) https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/. EM-audit can begin.

A key reminder: contributors should contact @rianrietveld before starting work on any documentation section, and should not submit PRs for issues that already have an assigned owner.
@joedolson also noted ongoing problems with PRs containing AI-written documentation, which currently does not meet quality standards.

On the topic of the accessibility profile badge, @joedolson suggested that contributors working on accessibility documentation should be eligible.

  • Nasim Miah agreed, noting it encourages consistent, quality contributions.
  • Both agreed badge criteria may need clearer standards, aligned with other teams.
  • Increased Profile Associations requests were noted; Nasim Miah also observed this trend.
  • @joedolson said smaller contributions are still considered, but must meet reasonable quality.

General

@joedolson reported that with the release of 6.9 RC1, work is now shifting toward preparing for 7.0. This week’s bug scrub focused on new tickets on TracTrac Trac is the place where contributors create issues for bugs or feature requests much like GitHub.https://core.trac.wordpress.org/. that were awaiting review, and most of those have been milestoned for the 7.0 release.

Next week, the focus will shift to older tickets, prioritizing ones that need attention.

In this release, 33 accessibility issues were resolved on Trac and 43 issues were resolved on GitHubGitHub GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/.

Gutenberg

@joedolson shared that all new GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ features should continue to be tested during the Release CandidateRelease Candidate A beta version of software with the potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge. phase, and accessibility bugs should be resolved before release.
Features that didn’t make it into 6.9 — such as Tabs BlockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience., Icons Block, and Template Management are likely candidates for 7.0.

He also noted that major items requiring attention are listed in the Release Progress document:
https://make.wordpress.org/accessibility/current-release-progress/

🗓️ Next Meeting Schedule

@joedolson noted that the next meeting is currently set for November 27th, which falls during the US Thanksgiving holiday, meaning many contributors will be unable to attend. He proposed skipping the meeting or shifting it by a week.

Nasim Miah agreed, saying it makes sense to skip the November 27th meeting and resume on December 4th instead.

@joedolson confirmed he will update the calendar and ensure the change is clearly noted in the meeting minutes.

NOTE: If you’d like to have a topic added to the agenda for our next meeting, please mention it in the comments on an upcoming agenda.

Thank you, @joedolson for the pre-publish review.

#accessibility, #meeting-notes

Accessibility Team Meeting Agenda: Nov 13, 2025

This is the proposed agenda for the bi-weekly AccessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) Team meeting on Thursday, Nov 13, 2025, 15:00 UTC

Updates from the working group

Open floor

If you want to have a topic added to the agenda, please mention it in the comments of this post.

The Accessibility Team bug scrub is every Tuesday at 15:00 UTC, held in the #accessibility channel on the Make WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. (registration required).

#accessibility, #agenda

Accessibility Team Meeting Notes: October 30, 2025

On Thursday, October 30, 2025, 15:00 UTC, a team meeting started in #accessibility facilitated by @krupajnanda. You can read the full transcript or see the meeting agenda.

Updates from working groups

Documentation Updates

  • Publishing of new documentation on wpaccessibility.org has started.
  • Three new topics are now available:
    1. Frontend code: Accessible name
    2. Web forms: Input field and form label
    3. Web forms: Input field and description
  • Site maintenance: AccessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) of wpaccessibility.org will be fixed by Joe and audited soon.
  • Outreach: @rianrietveld presented the project at WordPress Meetups in Amsterdam and Utrecht. Next presentation scheduled for November 27 at WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Netherlands.

How others can help:

  • Read and share feedback on the new content at wpaccessibility.org.
  • Pages about web forms need examples of how plugins handle accessibility.
    • Contributors from WordPress form plugins are invited to share input via the contact page.
  • Extended update available at WP A11y Docs update October 2025.
  • Volunteers are needed to review new documentation and take ownership of unresolved issues.

GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ Updates

  • WordPress 6.9:
    • Most changes have been merged into coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress..
    • Some remaining bug fixes will be backported.
    • Notable updates are still in progress for the Notes feature.
    • Joe will begin preparing the Accessibility Improvements List in the next couple of weeks for clearer tracking.

Themes Updates

  • @joedolson connected with @alh0319 to coordinate on finalizing the updated accessibility-ready guidelines.
  • Work is planned for late November, with the goal of having updates ready for broader review in December or January.
  • A special meeting with the Themes team will be scheduled once the guidelines are ready.

NOTE: If you’d like to have a topic added to the agenda for our next meeting, please mention it in the comments on an upcoming agenda.

#accessibility, #meeting-notes

Accessibility Team Meeting Agenda: Oct 30, 2025

This is the proposed agenda for the bi-weekly AccessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) Team meeting on Thursday, October 30, 2025, 15:00 UTC

Updates from the working group

  • Design
  • Documentation
  • General
  • GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/
  • Media
  • MetaMeta Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress.
  • Themes

Open floor

If you want to have a topic added to the agenda, please mention it in the comments of this post.

The Accessibility Team bug scrub is every Tuesday at 15:00 UTC, held in the #accessibility channel on the Make WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. (registration required).

#accessibility, #agenda

WP A11y Docs update October 2025

This update informs you about:

  • publishing of new documentation has started;
  • the accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) of wpaccessibility.org itself;
  • presentations at WP Meetups about the project;
  • how you can help.

Accessibility information for web forms

We started publishing documentation in the section Standards and best practice.

Three topics are now published:

For the pages about web forms we need examples of how WP plugins handle this (or don’t handle this).

Accessibility of wpaccessibility.org

@joedolson is working on making the search option at the top of each page, fully accessible. We hope to finish that soon. After that Level Level will perform an official WCAG EM audit. Because we need to practice what we preach.

Making noise

Rian gave two presentations at the WP Meetups, in Amsterdam and Utrecht about the project; This resulted in more readers and reviewers of new documentation and also possibly one more sponsor. The next talk will be November 27 ’25 at WordCamp Netherlands.

How can you help?

Read new content and let us know what you think. We write for you! Can you understand it, is it helpful, do you need more or different examples. New content doesn’t starts with the alert “This content needs to be reviewed and expanded”.

For the pages about web forms we need examples of how plugins handle accessibility. Do you use or work for one of the major WordPress Form plugins and want to help? Please contact us, we need your expertise.

Plans for november 2025

#wp-a11y-docs