WPCampus has released a request for proposals seeking an accessibility audit of the WordPress "Gutenberg" editor.
Our organization is sensitive to the legal requirements set by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The recent 508 refresh brought these requirements in line with WCAG 2.0 level AA, an industry standard that helps ensure accessibility. WCAG 2.0 is also commonly used as a baseline for policies governing many WPCampus participants outside the United States, with the European Union already moving to WCAG 2.1.
Beyond our institutions’ legal obligations, colleges and universities worldwide have committed to providing an accessible digital experience to their diverse communities. This is consistent with the broader culture of higher education, which values inclusivity and an exchange of ideas free from artificial barriers.
While the WordPress accessibility coding standards require new code to meet WCAG 2.0 AA, the new editor has not received a full accessibility audit. Lacking such an audit, the overall accessibility of Gutenberg is unclear. This makes it difficult for colleges and universities to determine the best course of action once WordPress 5.0 is released with Gutenberg as the default editor.
Project Goals and Scope
WPCampus seeks proposals from accessibility testing vendors to audit the Gutenberg editor. This audit will provide our participating institutions (and the WordPress community at large) an independent assessment that may be used to help determine:
- potential legal risk (if any) posed by upgrading to Gutenberg
- potential challenges when supporting the new editor, particularly for assistive technology users
- potential impact of Gutenberg on the accessibility of public-facing web content
The final report from the audit (and any appropriate supporting documentation) will be published on the WPCampus website.
More information about the project scope and deliverables can be found within the RFP.
Timeline
WordPress 5.0 has a November 19, 2018 scheduled release date. We are looking to have an audit completed and published as soon as possible, so that it can inform decision-making at WPCampus institutions. Commitment to completing an audit ahead of schedule is a plus.
- Submission Deadline:
November 7, 2018November 14, 2018 - Selection of Vendor: No later than November 30, 2018
- Completed Audit: No later than January 17, 2019
Documents
Additional Information
Please refer to the RFP for more information. To submit your proposal or to request additional information, contact:
Rachel Cherry
Director, WPCampus
rachel@wpcampus.org