{"id":17622,"date":"2026-08-21T19:27:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T19:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/accessibility\/?p=17622"},"modified":"2026-08-21T19:27:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T19:27:27","slug":"help-shape-the-accessibility-lab-plugin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/accessibility\/2026\/08\/21\/help-shape-the-accessibility-lab-plugin\/","title":{"rendered":"Help shape the Accessibility Lab plugin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introducing the AccessibilityAccessibility<\/span> 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 \u201cdirect access\u201d (i.e. unassisted) and \u201cindirect access\u201d meaning compatibility with a person\u2019s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Accessibility)<\/span><\/span><\/span> Lab pluginPlugin<\/span> A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/<\/a> or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.<\/span><\/span><\/span>! The plugin aims to offer a combination of CoreCore<\/span> Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.<\/span><\/span><\/span> related experiments and practical tools that solve shared problems for all to benefit from. The goal is not to move accessibility fixes out of Core and into a separate plugin.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After various conversations with the accessibility team<\/a> about where a plugin can genuinely help move Core forward (and where it very much can\u2019t), an initial prototype is available<\/a> now.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please consider this plugin an early approach to gather around and improve before we add it to the plugin repository as a canonical plugin.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"View<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why a canonical plugin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Accessibility Lab plugin follows the approach of two existing plugins in the WordPress project: Performance Lab plugin<\/a> and the AI plugin<\/a>. Each plugin provides a combination of features and experiments that anyone can help test and use. Each plugin is also maintained by their respective team.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Performance Lab plugin, the Accessibility Lab plugin takes inspiration from how they ship individual modules as a way to test and get feedback for features slated for Core that can\u2019t exist in Core for different reasons. Unlike Performance Lab, the features won\u2019t be broken into individual plugins. They\u2019ll stay bundled in a single Accessibility plugin for ease of use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the AI plugin, it borrows the idea of bringing solutions together. When someone in the community has already built something that works well and wants to contribute it back to the wider community, it makes more sense to give it an official, centralized home. Accessibility needs come up again and again across WordPress in schools, agencies, and everywhere in between. This plugin is a way to collect that work in one place for all to benefit from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, these two ideas shape what this plugin is for: a new contribution pathway for folks who want to test early items headed to Core, and a reliable community resource for features that solve problems shared across the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Accessibility Lab plugin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This plugin aims to have every module fall into one of these two buckets:<\/p>\n\n\n\n