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Re: Accessible Content Management Systems

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From: John E Brandt
Date: Sep 24, 2014 12:42PM

Ditto to everything Jennifer shared.

For those who are interested...most of the major CMS (Drupal, Joomla,
WordPress) are very accessible "out of the box," meaning if you use the
basic installation and the default theme/template, they will work just fine
with screen readers and AT devices of all sorts for both the front-end
(public side) and the back end (tech side). The first problem with all of
these CMSs is the templates/themes and the plugin/add-ons/widgets that
people install. There are few "certified" templates/themes...you have to
search of them and/or you may need to use a "framework" and develop it to
meet your style needs. There is currently no process for vetting plugins -
let the installer beware!

Second, the most accessible CMSs (out of the box) is only as accessible as
the content being created for it. The first person who adds content can make
the site inaccessible because they lack training and an understanding of
accessible content creation. Make sure you put lots of training in your
budget if you are planning to convert to a new CMS or from a static site to
a CMS.

[Opinion] If I were choosing a CMS, I would recommend WordPress at this
point in time because they have the largest development community. And,
there is a very active, very committed and very knowledgeable core of
volunteer developers who are passionate about accessibility and WordPress.
See Jennifer's references FMI...[/opinion]

There are pockets of accessibility folks in the Drupal and Joomla
development communities, but since WP is now the "number one" CMS on the
planet, there are lots of developers and users flocking to WP and away from
these other CMSs.

~j

John E. Brandt
jebswebs: accessible and universal web design,
development and consultation
<EMAIL REMOVED>
207-622-7937
Augusta, Maine, USA

@jebswebs