We are grateful to WP Engine for continuing to support WordPress Accessibility Day as a Gold sponsor. Their sponsorship keeps our event free and accessible for everyone while supporting the accessibility education that helps people build a more inclusive web.

WP Engine: Technology, Reach, and Accessibility

WP Engine powers more than 5 million sites, providing premium, enterprise-grade solutions, tools, and services, including specialized hosting platforms for websites built on WordPress.

Over 11k leading agencies worldwide trust WP Engine. Their Newsroom solution for content producers is a powerful publishing platform. Developers love their web development tools such as Advanced Custom Fields, NitroPack, and Local. 

Innovative technology and industry-leading expertise are why top brands choose WP Engine. These include Pandora, Experian, Equifax, VMware, HubSpot, and Dell.

That reach gives WP Engine an opportunity to make accessibility part of the tools, workflows, and digital experiences used by organizations, agencies, developers, and content teams around the world.

Why WP Engine Supports WordPress Accessibility Day

WP Engine believes a better web should be open, inclusive and accessible to everyone. Supporting WordPress Accessibility Day is one way the company puts that belief into practice while helping make accessibility education available to a wider audience.

Accessibility education is particularly important because creating inclusive digital experiences requires consideration at every stage – from design and content creation to development and ongoing maintenance. By bringing together accessibility specialists, WordPress professionals and the wider community, WordPress Accessibility Day helps make that knowledge more widely available and gives people practical guidance they can apply to their own work.

As a company that supports organizations building and managing digital experiences on WordPress, we recognize the importance of continuing these conversations and helping accessibility become a fundamental part of how websites are planned and built, not an issue addressed only after launch.

Ricky Blacker, Head of Technical Services at WP Engine, summed up WP Engine’s approach to accessibility in 2024:

In my experience, accessibility is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of web design. While it’s commonly associated with making websites usable for people with disabilities – which is undeniably important – accessibility goes beyond that. It’s about creating a web experience that’s easy for absolutely everyone to navigate. By following thoughtful guidelines, we ensure that every user can engage fully and effortlessly with any site.

Putting Accessibility Into Practice

Accessibility is an increasingly integrated part of WP Engine’s web work. Over the past few years, they have strengthened the accessibility expertise within the team and continued to review and improve their digital properties against recognized Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

This work has included auditing WP Engine websites and improving their underlying markup and user experience for people using screen readers, keyboard navigation and other assistive technologies. The team has also considered the needs of people with mobility, cognitive and neurological differences, aiming to create clearer and more usable experiences for a wider range of visitors.

They have increasingly adopted an accessibility-first approach to website projects. Rather than waiting until development is complete to identify barriers, accessibility is considered during the initial design and technical planning stages. Designs are reviewed for accessibility factors before they reach the build stage.

One of the most important lessons from this work is that accessibility is most effective when it is treated as a shared and ongoing responsibility. Building knowledge across design, content and development teams, and involving accessibility expertise early, can prevent issues from becoming embedded and make remediation less complex later. Regular testing is also essential, combining automated tools with manual reviews and, where possible, testing that reflects how people use assistive technologies in practice.

Learn More About WP Engine’s Accessibility Work

Simplified Summary

WP Engine is a Gold sponsor of WordPress Accessibility Day. Its support helps keep the event free for everyone. WP Engine provides WordPress hosting and tools that help agencies and developers build websites. The company works to make websites easier to use for all people, including those who use screen readers or keyboards.