Accessible WordPress Theme
Ariade for WordPress: Accessible & ADA Compliance Theme
Ariade is a free WordPress theme built to WCAG 2.2 AA in the code, not bolted on with an overlay, and listed as Accessibility Ready on WordPress.org. Every page is tested by hand with JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver and TalkBack, so WordPress accessibility is real for your visitors and WordPress ADA compliance starts from a theme that already passes.
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Watch: Ariade for WordPress in 90 seconds
Read the video transcript
Ariade, the accessible WordPress theme, explained by Shivaji Mitra. Captions are built into the video, and the full transcript follows.
Hello, I am Shivaji Mitra. I have been building websites since 2003, and for many years now I have worked only on accessibility. I test sites with a keyboard and with screen readers, and I fix what I find. Here is what I keep seeing on WordPress. A site looks good, but the theme was never tested with a keyboard or a screen reader. The menu does not open without a mouse. The slider moves on its own. Forms do not say what went wrong. Then an overlay is put in front to hide the problems.
So I built Ariade, a free WordPress block theme, accessible from the first line of code. It is built to WCAG 2.2 AA, for any site that needs to meet ADA, Section 508, AODA or the European Accessibility Act. Ariade already runs live sites today, including my own, ananyoo.com. Three things it does differently. One, every page and pattern is tested by hand with JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver and TalkBack, not only by scanners.
Two, it works with my five free Ananyoo plugins, for carousel, forms, login, events and portfolio. Three, Ariade Pro adds ready store templates for WooCommerce. Ariade is free on WordPress.org. For the store templates and priority support, buy Ariade Pro. To have your own site checked by hand, choose Pro with the Setup Check, and you get a written report of every issue and how to fix it. Thank you.
What is on screen: the video opens with my photo, then me speaking, on the right and the Ariade logo, the WordPress logo and the words "Accessible WordPress Theme" on the left. Four problem cards follow: the menu needs a mouse, the slider moves on its own, form errors are not announced, and an overlay hides the problems. Then screenshots of the Ariade home page on a desktop and a phone, the ananyoo.com home page, the Accessible Forms demo, the five plugin demos (Carousel, Forms, Login, Events and Portfolio), and two Ariade Pro store templates. It closes with me again, next to the Ariade logo and the words "Free on WordPress.org", Ariade Pro, Ariade Pro plus Setup Check, and ananyoo.com.
Accessibility tour
Take a look inside
What each page does for keyboard, screen reader and low-vision visitors. Pick a page, read its accessibility points, then try it live on the showcase.
Accessibility
- A Skip to content link is the first thing the keyboard reaches
- Drop-down menus open with Enter, Space or the arrow keys, and Escape closes them
- Hero text keeps solid contrast on top of any background image
- One H1, then headings in order, so screen reader users can scan the page
Accessibility
- Price, colour, size and rating filters are real form controls with visible labels
- Grid and list view buttons tell screen readers which view is on
- Every Add to cart button names its product, such as “Add Focus Notebook to your cart”
- “View more” buttons say whether the extra options are open or closed
Accessibility
- Pick a colour with big, named buttons that say which one is selected
- Star ratings are read out in words, such as “Rated 4.25 out of 5”
- The quantity field has a proper label
- Product details, reviews and related products sit under clear headings
Accessibility
- The category filter is a labelled drop-down
- One link per post title, so screen readers do not hear the same link twice
- Category and tag pills sit under the picture, never over it
- Grid and list views show the same details, and pagination is a labelled navigation
Accessibility
- Every event says what it provides: wheelchair access, live captions, sign language and more
- Visitors can filter the list to the accommodation they need
- Add to calendar works by keyboard and screen reader
- Event details are shared with search engines as structured data
Accessibility
- Every field has a real label; radio and checkbox groups use fieldset and legend
- Errors are listed in a summary and beside each field, in words, not colour alone
- Your answers stay in place when an error shows, so there is no retyping
- Success and error messages are announced to screen readers
Accessibility
- Sign in, registration and lost password screens are all accessible
- Keyboard-first, with a real show / hide password button
- Ten colour palettes, each one checked for contrast
Accessibility
- Case studies with categories, tags, client and completion date
- Filter by category with a normal Apply button, so nothing moves while you choose
- Switch between grid and list view by keyboard
Accessibility
- A Skip carousel link lets keyboard users jump past it
- Left and Right Arrow change slides; Home and End go to the first and last
- Space pauses or plays autoplay, and focus is always visible
Accessibility
- Pick a letter to jump straight to it, or type to filter the list
- Letters with no entries stay in place but are switched off, so the alphabet never jumps around
- Each letter says how many entries it has, such as “B, no entries”
Accessibility
- Every page, post, product and case study on one page
- Built automatically, so it never goes out of date
- Grouped under headings with item counts, easy to move through by screen reader
Free theme, Pro add-on
Ariade for WordPress
The full Ariade theme is free on WordPress.org. Ariade Pro adds more for shops and busy sites, with priority support.
Download Ariade themeThe full accessible theme, from WordPress.orgFree Most chosenBuy Ariade ProExtra patterns, store templates and priority support for 1 site$74See every Ariade Pro pattern live
- PayPal or card
- GPL licence
- WCAG 2.2 AA
- Human support
The package
What you get
What is built into Ariade, and how it is tested.
What is included in Ariade
Ariade is a free, accessible WordPress block theme: already built, externally audited and listed as Accessibility Ready on WordPress.org. Install it from Appearance, Themes, then add your own logo, colours and content in the Site Editor, with no code. This is what is included.
- Built to WCAG 2.2 AA in the code, not with an overlay
- Listed as Accessibility Ready on WordPress.org
- Full site editing: change the header, footer and every template in the Site Editor
- Ready-made block patterns for pages, sections and calls to action
- Accessible header, drop-down menu and mobile drawer, with the free Ariade Header and Menu plugin
- WooCommerce shop, product, cart and checkout pages, styled and tested
- A top bar for your "Need help?" links, plus language and currency pickers that appear when you add a translation or currency plugin
- Translation-ready, with French included
- With Ariade Pro: a Listen (read aloud) button and an Accessibility settings panel for your visitors
- Works with our free accessible plugins for forms, events, login, portfolio, carousel and an A to Z index
- Tested by hand with JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver and TalkBack
- Keyboard-only testing, and zoom testing at 200% and 400%
- Automated scans with Deque AXE, WebAIM Wave and Google Lighthouse
- Externally audited (October 2026): every finding fixed and re-tested
- Free and 100% GPL, with support from the team that built it, with replies within 2 working days
Accessibility standards we follow: WordPress, Shopify and BigCommerce accessibility coding standards.
Accessibility Health Score
The accessibility health score indicates how well a page meets the tested accessibility rules, on a scale of 0-100. Because automated scans catch only 25-30% of potential issues, every release is also audited by hand.
Google Lighthouse
Lighthouse is Google's open-source tool for automated website audits - performance, PWA, accessibility, best practices and SEO. Our themes pass its accessibility audit with a near-perfect score.
WebAIM Wave
WAVE, by WebAIM.org, gives visual feedback on accessibility by injecting icons and indicators into the page. Our themes return no WAVE errors or contrast failures.
Deque AXE-Core
AXE-Core, by Deque, is an industry-standard automated accessibility testing engine. Our themes return a clean AXE run with no violations.
Manual Audit
Automated tools catch only a fraction of real barriers, so every release gets a full manual audit with JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver and TalkBack to confirm genuine WCAG 2.2 AA conformance.
Proven work
WordPress accessibility case studies
Every project below runs on our Ariade accessible WordPress theme and was delivered by our WordPress accessibility consultancy. Real sites, real screen reader testing, and a written record of what changed.
S Harish Chandan: A SEBI Research Analyst Website, Born Accessible
Not an audit this time - a complete accessible WordPress website designed and built from scratch…
View case study: S Harish Chandan: A SEBI Research Analyst Website, Born Accessible
Anandodhara: A Fully Accessible Bengali Cultural Hub, Built from Scratch
Not an audit this time - a complete accessible WordPress website designed and built from scratch…
View case study: Anandodhara: A Fully Accessible Bengali Cultural Hub, Built from Scratch
Cenersk Accessibility Audit
CENERS-K, the Kolkata think-tank, taken to WCAG 2.2 Level AA. Tested by hand with JAWS, NVDA,…
View case study: Cenersk Accessibility Audit
Trinetra Technologies
Trinetra Technologies, a drone and surveillance firm, taken to WCAG 2.2 AA. Tested by hand with…
View case study: Trinetra Technologies
KindHealth Florida Accessibility Audit
This KindHealth Florida accessibility audit and WCAG 2.1 AA remediation covered the website of a United…
View case study: KindHealth Florida Accessibility Audit
Marion County Oregon Health & Human Services Accessibility Audit
This Marion County Oregon Health & Human Services accessibility audit and WCAG 2.1 AA remediation covered…
View case study: Marion County Oregon Health & Human Services Accessibility Audit
Before you buy
Proof and answers
The questions site owners ask us most.
FAQ
WordPress accessibility - frequently asked questions
Is Ariade really free?
Yes. Ariade is free on WordPress.org under the GPL licence, and so is the Ariade Header and Menu plugin. Use it on as many sites as you like, for yourself or for your clients.
Will an accessibility overlay or widget make my WordPress site compliant?
No. A toolbar that changes font size and colours does not turn a div into a button, label a form field, manage focus in your pop-up or write meaningful alternative text. Overlays are one reason many sites still receive demand letters after paying for “compliance”. Real accessibility is in the theme and plugin code, which is where Ariade does it.
Does Ariade work with WooCommerce?
Yes. The shop, product, cart, checkout and account pages are styled and tested with the same care as the rest of the theme. Try them on the showcase before you install.
Can I switch to Ariade without losing my content?
Your posts, pages and media stay in WordPress when you change theme. What changes is the design: widgets and page-builder layouts made for your old theme need to be rebuilt with blocks. If you would rather keep your current theme, we can fix that one instead.
Does Ariade make my whole site accessible?
It gives you an accessible starting point: templates, header, menus and colours that already pass. What you add still matters, such as image descriptions, clear link text, headings in order and the plugins you install. If you want certainty, a website accessibility audit checks the full site.
What do I receive if you build or fix my site?
A written audit report with screenshots, severity, WCAG 2.2 references and the fix for every issue; the remediated theme and plugin code; a re-test after the changes; an honest accessibility statement for your footer; and a VPAT where a buyer asks for one.
Already using Ariade
Documentation and support
Everything you need after you install Ariade: step-by-step documentation, and a direct line to the team that built the theme. We reply within 2 working days, Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 9 pm India Standard Time (IST).
Theme documentation
Self-help first
Every setting, step by step.
Plain-language guides for site owners: how to install Ariade, set it up in the Site Editor and use every pattern, template and built-in feature, with an FAQ that answers most questions before you need to ask.
Free downloads
Set up Ariade in 3 steps
Everything is free and GPL. Install them in this order; it takes about two minutes.
- Start here
Ariade theme
The accessible block theme, built to WCAG 2.2 AA.
Get Ariade on WordPress.org - Required
Ariade Header and Menu
The accessible header, drop-down menu and sitemap.
Get Header and Menu - Optional
Ariade Demo
One click fills a new site with the full demo.
Download Ariade Demo (zip)
Licence
100% GPL: free to use, change and share
Ariade WordPress Theme, Copyright 2026 Shivaji Mitra (M/S. Anblik). Ariade is distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL v2 or later. The same licence covers the Ariade child theme, the Ariade Header and Menu and Ariade Demo plugins and every Ananyoo accessibility plugin. All of them are free, with no licence key. Use them on any number of sites, including client sites, change the code and share it. Ariade Pro, the optional paid add-on with extra patterns and priority support, is GPL licensed too.
The bundled fonts, Barlow Semi Condensed and Geist, are under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, and the bundled images are the theme author's own work, released under CC0-1.0 / GPL-2.0-or-later. The full statement, including what the licence lets you do, is on our Licensing page.