Description
BarrierForge scans the rendered front end of your WordPress site for common accessibility barriers. Results appear in a filterable Fix Queue with severity, WCAG level, affected elements, page links, and suggested next steps.
BarrierForge includes:
- Rendered-page scanning for up to 250 published public posts and pages.
- Checks for missing image alt attributes, empty links and buttons, generic link text, positive tabindex values, skipped heading levels, text contrast, and small touch targets.
- WCAG level and success-criterion references for each supported check.
- Administrator-only links that locate and highlight affected elements on the front end.
- Reversible automatic fixes for supported empty-link and touch-target findings.
- Opt-in sitewide enhancements for page language, a keyboard skip link, and visible keyboard focus.
- Remediation history and progress reporting that distinguishes open and resolved findings.
Automated testing finds only some accessibility barriers. BarrierForge does not guarantee conformance with WCAG or any law, and it does not replace manual testing or testing with people with disabilities.
Installation
- Upload the BarrierForge ZIP from Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, or install it from the WordPress.org Plugin Directory.
- Activate BarrierForge.
- Open BarrierForge in the WordPress admin menu.
- Select Scan rendered pages to create the first Fix Queue.
- Review each finding before applying a fix or changing site content.
FAQ
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Does BarrierForge make my site legally compliant?
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No. Automated tools cannot establish legal compliance or complete WCAG conformance. BarrierForge identifies a limited set of common barriers and helps administrators review them.
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Does a scan change my content?
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No. Scanning is read-only. The sitewide enhancements and supported automatic fixes are opt-in, applied on the front end, and reversible. They do not rewrite post content.
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Does BarrierForge send site data to an external service?
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No. Scans run between the WordPress administration screen and pages on the same site. Scan results, remediation records, settings, and local usage counters are stored in the site’s WordPress database and are not transmitted by BarrierForge to an external service.
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What data is removed when I delete the plugin?
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Deleting BarrierForge through the WordPress Plugins screen removes its scan results, settings, remediation records, and local usage counters.
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Why can a page or element fail to scan or highlight?
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Security headers, authentication rules, caching, or dynamically generated markup can prevent a rendered page from loading in the scanner or can change an element after a scan. BarrierForge preserves existing findings when a page cannot be loaded and reports when a saved element can no longer be found.
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Are all WCAG success criteria tested?
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No. WCAG levels and criterion numbers identify the standards related to checks that BarrierForge supports. Many WCAG requirements require human judgment and manual testing.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“BarrierForge — Accessibility Scanner” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “BarrierForge — Accessibility Scanner” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.0.1
- Improved plugin name and directory description for clearer accessibility-focused discoverability.
1.0.0
- Added rendered-page accessibility scanning and a filterable Fix Queue.
- Added affected-element evidence and administrator-only front-end highlighting.
- Added WCAG level, criterion, severity, and remediation progress reporting.
- Added reversible sitewide enhancements and supported automatic fixes.
- Added verified remediation history and safe handling for partial scan failures.
- Added complete data removal on uninstall and documented local data handling.