High contrast admin colour scheme

[johnbillion]

We should consider bundling a high contrast admin colour scheme with WordPress to aid accessibility for the visually impaired.

Some discussion on this has taken place previously on IRC but nothing much beyond that.

Some potential points of discussion:

• Is anyone in the ​WordPress accessibility group an expert on accessibility for the visually impaired? Can we get someone on board for some expert guidance?
• Is an admin colour scheme sufficient? Would any JavaScript need altering too? If so, would an admin colour scheme suffice as a starting point?

Related:

• ​A high contrast admin theme plugin
• ​Support forum discussing admin theme for visually impaired user
• ​Easy Admin Colour Schemes plugin

Also: icons.

Related: #16103

We should consider this urgently!

I think this may be something that is best done as a plugin, partly so that we can update it more quickly than we can if it's in core and partly so it can serve as a good model for other similar plugins that "skin" the admin. I would also imagine that an option or some such for enlarged text would be a good inclusion, and if we're talking about a full-on accessibility plugin, then we can also think about what happens to JS and other interactions.

This particular desire (which I've voiced in the past, but I guess I tend not to put feature requests in Trac for whatever reason) is a good part of the reason why I would like to merge gray into the main stylesheet and have blue be an overload. The time required for creation and maintenance of a full color sheet is, well, kind of ridiculous, and the amount of duplication between the two in core is quite high. It's a pretty heavy barrier to creating yet another scheme, at least in my eyes.

Replying to helenyhou:

This particular desire (which I've voiced in the past, but I guess I tend not to put feature requests in Trac for whatever reason) is a good part of the reason why I would like to merge gray into the main stylesheet and have blue be an overload.

Actually, there's a ticket for that: #18380.

Just changing the colors is probably not enough. Light text on dark background looks usually a little bit thinner. And all links in a text will need underlines, because a plain color distinction is often not good easy to understand for someone visually impaired. Some font sizes are too small too I think.

Replying to toscho:

Just changing the colors is probably not enough.

That's a good argument for making an accessibility plugin, not just including an extra color scheme :)

Accessibility should be in core. Enhanced accessibility should also be an install option so that the first user created has the enhanced accessibility admin theme from the beginning. IMHO.

Replying to knutsp:

Accessibility should be in core.

Core already makes what I'd consider to ba a 'good' accessibility effort. What we're talking about here is a full-fledged, high-contrast alternative theme to the Dashboard that would be used by a minority of users.

Enhanced accessibility should also be an install option so that the first user created has the enhanced accessibility admin theme from the beginning. IMHO.

I agree with @helenyhou that this should be in a plugin, though I would extend that statement to mean a core-supported plugin, maybe with a similar experience as you get from visiting Tools > Import and being prompted to install the Importer.

I've seen several discussions about using a plugin to apply alternative admin themes and I think it's an idea that should be explored (maybe in 3.6). It would open the door for just such things as an accessibility theme like this.

Yes, a very small minority would need a high-contrast admin theme. But their need is more bad than usual. Analogy:

Core has installed an escalator which is a good accessibility effort for those who might get exhausted by using stairs all the way up. It might even let you order an elevator to be operataional. Just remember to call in advance and use the kitchen entrance.

I say install the elevator now and put up a clear sign to point to it.

Thatss real accessibility. Other ways are "access is possible". If I was visually "impaired" I would look for accessibility, not just possibility.

I usually advocate putting marginal/edge functionality into a plugin, but accessibility is not such. You can download a completely localized Norwegian version of WordPress. We are a 5 million minor outpost in Far Northern Europe. But 285 million people are visually impaired worldwide (WHO). Let supporting those be a pride of WordPress core.

Replying to knutsp:

... But 285 million people are visually impaired worldwide (WHO). Let supporting those be a pride of WordPress core.

Echoing that.

Been doing some investigation work with the Colour Contrast Analyzer tool available from the Paciello Group (​http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/contrastAnalyser) and it transpires that some of the admin screen areas fail the WCAG2.0 success criterion 1.4.3 (​http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/visual-audio-contrast-contrast.html).

Specific problems are the blue links on the left hand vertical menu dark grey, the dk grey on grey Screen options and Help links, and the new Skip links and Log out links that are introduced in 3.5.

Would you mind making a new ticket for the contrast issues with the current admin? That way, they can be fixed separately from the larger issue of handling new color schemes. And thanks as always for raising it!

Replying to grahamarmfield:

Been doing some investigation work with the Colour Contrast Analyzer tool available from the Paciello Group (​http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/contrastAnalyser) and it transpires that some of the admin screen areas fail the WCAG2.0 success criterion 1.4.3 (​http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/visual-audio-contrast-contrast.html).

Specific problems are the blue links on the left hand vertical menu dark grey, the dk grey on grey Screen options and Help links, and the new Skip links and Log out links that are introduced in 3.5.

Yes I can do that, and I will shortly. I'm not going to be naive enough to think that it can be sorted in 3.5.

Replying to grahamarmfield:

Yes I can do that, and I will shortly. I'm not going to be naive enough to think that it can be sorted in 3.5.

If the styling of the skip-to and logout links aren't high contrast enough, though, that should be fixed.