Accessibility and the NC State Theme

With the upcoming WCAG 2.1 AA requirements coming into effect on April 24, 2026 many content maintainers and site administrators are reviewing their websites to ensure their site is accessible to all users.

In short, the NC State Theme meets the latest accessibility requirements from a technical perspective. Creating accessible solutions can be a nuanced endeavor. If you have concerns about the code on your site not meeting requirements, please submit a help request. University Communications and Marketing will review your concerns and make any necessary code adjustments and/or provide context on why you may have received a false positive from a scanning tool such as PopeTech or WAVE.

Even though the NC State Theme’s code is accessible, content changes may be necessary to ensure your website is accessible.

Why Accessibility Matters: Beyond Compliance

According to designer Kat Holmes, one-third of people will need accessible accommodations at some point during their lives. Designing, developing and maintaining accessible websites improves the user experience for all users. Many commonplace design facets of our physical world come about through an effort to remove hindrances to individuals needing accommodations. This has become known as the “curb-cut effect.”

The Curb-Cut Effect in Digital Spaces

Just as curb cuts—originally designed for wheelchair users—now benefit parents with strollers, delivery workers, and cyclists, digital accessibility features improve usability for everyone. This phenomenon, known as the “curb-cut effect,” means that designing for accessibility creates better experiences across the board.

Common examples include:

• Captions on videos: Originally for deaf and hard-of-hearing users, studies show that captions benefit people who aren’t native speakers, individuals with ADHD, and help everyone retain information better Accessibility
• Clear navigation and heading structures: While essential for screen reader users, these also help all users quickly find information
• Good color contrast: Critical for users with low vision, but also helps everyone read content in bright sunlight or on older screens
• Alt text on images: Necessary for blind users, but also displays when images fail to load and improves SEO

NC State Theme: Technical Foundation

The NC State Theme provides a solid technical foundation for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. From a technical perspective, the theme generally meets accessibility requirements out of the box, handling:

• Semantic HTML structure
• Keyboard navigation
• Focus indicators
• ARIA landmarks and roles
• Responsive design for various devices

When to Report Technical Issues

Occasionally, small platform-level code tweaks may be needed in the theme. If you encounter technical accessibility barriers that seem to be theme-related rather than content-related, please report them immediately:

Bug Report Form: https://go.ncsu.edu/ncstate-theme-bug-report

Content Accessibility: Your Responsibilities

While the NC State Theme provides the technical framework, the bulk of the work necessary for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance is content-related. As a content maintainer, you are responsible for ensuring your content meets accessibility standards.

Core Content Requirements

1. Images and Graphics
   • Add meaningful alt text to all informational images
   • Mark decorative images appropriately (empty alt text)
   • Avoid using images of text when possible
2. Document Structure
   • Use proper heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3, etc.)
   • Don’t skip heading levels for visual styling
   • Use lists for grouped items
3. Tables
   • Include table headers (<th> elements)
   • Keep tables simple when possible
   • Provide captions or summaries for complex data
4. Multimedia
   • Provide transcripts for audio content
   • Include captions for videos
   • Ensure all visual information in videos is also represented audibly (example)
5. Links
   • Use descriptive link text (avoid “click here”)
   • Indicate when links open in new windows
   • Ensure link purpose is clear from context

Finding and Managing PDFs in WordPress

PDFs present one of the biggest accessibility challenges for content maintainers. Here’s how to locate and manage them effectively:

1. Navigate to Media → Library in your WordPress admin
2. Switch to List View for easier filtering
3. Filter by type: Use the dropdown to show only “Documents”
4. Search specifically: Use the search bar with terms like “.pdf”

Note that some of the PDFs you find may no longer be used on your website. This is a great opportunity to remove unused content, especially when that content might need remediation to make it accessible.

Ensuring PDF Accessibility

PDFs should only be used when they are absolutely necessary. Native content built within your website is the best way to create accessible content.

Creating accessible PDFs can be tedious. If you must use PDFs, it is best to start with content from tools such as Google Docs or Microsoft Word. In conjunction with tools such as Grackle, you can more easily save accessible PDFs from these tools.

Adobe also has guidelines on how to create accessible PDFs. Many of the guidelines for creating accessible content within a PDF are similar to those for creating accessible web content:

• Document title and language settings
• Tagged content for proper reading order
• Alternative text for images and graphics
• Proper headings and document structure
• Table headers for data tables
• Bookmarks for documents over 9 pages
• Sufficient color contrast (4.5:1 ratio)
• Readable fonts that can be extracted as text

Training and Workshop Opportunities

The university’s accessibility office offers an asynchronous accessibility training through REPORTER in addition to many other resources. This 30 minute long training covers the basic, core skills of digital accessibility.

Accessibility and the NC State Theme Workshop

University Communications and Marketing will be holding two identical workshops in the spring 2026 semester. Each workshop will cover basics of creating and maintaining accessible content within the NC State Theme and have ample time for Q&A from participants.

• Wednesday, February 4 11 a.m. – noon (registration required)
• Wednesday, April 1 11 a.m. – noon (registration required)